Loving You
by Corrinn
Summary: Yuri wants to share his feelings with Gwendal, but he can't seem to gather enough courage. Gwendal wants to share his feelings with Yuri, but he thinks he isn't good enough for the king. Just a warning: at some point there will be some Gwen/Yuu lovin'
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own KKM or it's characters, just what I do to them in my stories. I hope you enjoy the story!_

Today was going to be a great day. Yuri was headed down for breakfast, after which he had two whole hours to himself. Then there would be lessons with Gunter, sword practice with Conrad (the two of them usually ended up playing catch), and sometime this afternoon he would be discussing plans for a trip with all of his advisors.

He arrived to breakfast and was greeted with a loud squeal. The former Maou grabbed him in her typically enthusiastic fashion and squeezed him tight enough that his face was smushed into her bosom. It took several minutes, but Yuri was finally able to fight her off and sit down for breakfast. Everyone seemed a little tense today, but Yuri didn't think anything was amiss. His advisors always seemed a little tense when he was preparing for a trip. Even after all these years he still found a way to get into some sort of trouble. Everything from simply forgetting to pack supplies to getting kidnapped and nearly killed. He gave everyone a cheerful smile, hoping that they would calm down by this afternoon.

Just as soon as breakfast was over, Yuri took off to his office. He lounged back on the chaise in his office with a book he borrowed from Gwendal. The older man seemed to love this author, and only two chapters into it, Yuri knew why. This guy was fantastic! He had just read the first paragraph of chapter three when Gwendal burst into the room.

"Heika!" he said breathlessly. "Please, you must run. Get out of here quick! Anissina is looking for a volunteer for her latest experiment, and I think it looked like a pair of wings!"

It almost seemed like a bad dream. In fact, Yuri thought, this was just like one of the nightmares that he'd had recently. When Gwendal yanked the pillow out from under his head, he knew then that it was no dream. His nightmare had come real. Yuri scrambled off of the chaise and dropped the book to the floor in a panic. There was only one thing that Gwendal got this panicked over and that was Anissina's inventions. Gwendal didn't stick around to see if Yuri was following. It was best to hide quickly when Anissina was on the hunt. Ever lurking in the shadows, Yozak followed Yuri as he bolted out of the office and to his chambers. The two men packed quickly and snuck down to the stables. A look of pity passed between the two as they rode out of the castle gates. They'd heard Gunter give a loud shout. He had been discovered and would soon be experimented upon.

Though there had been a momentary dark cloud hanging over him, the day was turning out to be as nice as he'd hoped. Yuri had escaped Gunter's lessons and Anissina's experiments. Gunter he didn't mind so much, the lessons were at the very least mildly interesting. He was a little sad that he'd be missing time with his godfather, but he knew that the older man would be okay with it once he found out the reason for Yuri's absence. It was the experiments that always made him run terrified from the castle.

Yuri loved riding his horse, once he finally learned to ride properly. He was happy to be allowed out of the castle with only Yozak and not half the army. It had taken some convincing, but after Yozak had a private conversation with Gwendal, Gunter, and Conrad, no one complained about his trips. The pair made it a point to ride for the whole day at least once every couple of weeks. It was a few days earlier than usual, but Yozak didn't mind. He really loved these alone times with his Heika. It wasn't as though he had personal feelings for the young king, he just liked being able to be himself and not have to put on airs.

They chatted comfortably for a while. Yuri talked about his days on earth. Yozak told hilarious stories of espionage. It was a relief to be away from the duties that were placed upon both men. Yozak had yet to be captured and used in one of Anissina's experiments, but he had an unusual way of blending into the shadows at the mere mention of her name. If he could lay claim to any sort of maryoku, it would be the magic of hiding and never being found.

The pair rode in silence for a couple of hours. They had passed the road that would take them to the lake and appeared to be heading toward the forest. Yuri suddenly seemed less cheerful than usual, but Yozak didn't press him. He would speak when he felt like it. The spy didn't have to wait long.

"Yozak, I have a personal question for you."

"Go for it."

"Well, I mean, it's really personal. I'm not sure if it's an appropriate question to ask somebody."

"I tell you what, Yuri. If it's something I don't want to answer, I'll tell you. How's that?"

Yuri nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. His face burned as he opened his mouth again to speak. "Have you ever been with a guy or had feelings for a guy?"

Yozak's eyebrows shot to his hairline and he gave the younger man a sideways glance. "What brought that question on?"

"Well, I- uh, I mean- if you don't want to answer, you don't have to."

"No, no. It's no problem. I was just wondering. To answer your question, I'll give you the short version and if you still want to know more, I can give you the longer version. The answer is yes and yes."

Yuri nodded again, but didn't seem quite satisfied with that answer. How was he ever going to ask Yozak to continue with his explanation? As it was, Yozak understood that Yuri's embarrassed silence was his cue to elaborate a little bit more.

"I have loved Conrad for the longest time. It started out as love for a friend, but over the years it has grown into something more romantic. We have saved each other's lives countless times and have spent a lot of time in each other's company. After what we've survived, I couldn't help the feelings I have for him. He feels the same for me. Now, for the other question: my best guy experience has been Conrad. I had been with guys before, but no one made me feel as wonderful and as special as he did. I know you probably don't want to know that about your godfather, but I figured you would be able to handle that kind of thing. Especially since… well, never mind."

The younger man smiled and seemed a little more at ease, but said nothing for the next hour. Yozak left him alone with his thoughts. Years as a spy taught him that incredible patience pays off in the end. They stopped for lunch before Yuri decided that he could share his thoughts with the spy.

"Do you think someone strong, powerful, and smart could ever love someone like me? I mean, I'm only special because I'm the Maou. There's nothing really unique or interesting about me personally."

Yozak took a few minutes to come up with the right words that would make Yuri feel better. To Yuri, it was an eternity. He felt ashamed for asking and almost told Yozak to forget it when the red-head finally cleared his throat and spoke.

"Anyone would be lucky to have you, be it man or woman, and not just because you're the Maou. You have a very kind heart and a passion for peace. You've united the countries in a way that no one ever has. I am honored to know you and simply have your friendship." Yozak paused and took a slow breath. "I hope this has helped you at least a little. Heika, you really do deserve all that the world has to offer and more."

The young man smiled and thanked Yozak, appreciating the spy's unique way with words. Yuri knew if he did tell Yozak the biggest secret of all, that it would be taken to the grave. Now if only he could summon the courage to say anything. He might as well get it out into the open so they can talk before going back to the castle.

"I. Love. Gwendal." The words sounded choppy and forced. Yuri's face was beet red. Yozak merely nodded and didn't press him for an explanation. He would find out all in good time.

"You don't seem surprised."

"Well, boy-o, I'm not that surprised. After what happened two years ago, you two have been spending more time together. I am surprised that it took this long for you to figure it out." Yozak grinned at the shocked Maou. He got them packed up and back on the horses, again waiting for Yuri to talk without pressuring him.

"I just, um, well on earth it isn't really accepted for a guy to like another guy. I don't really know how to tell him or tell my family, though if I can't tell him, then I suppose I don't have to worry about my family. It's just that he still thinks of me as a kid. I'm pretty sure he thinks that I'm incompetent. I'm not that attractive, definitely not as pretty as Wolfram," the name was said with a slight shudder, "or you for that matter. You have gorgeous red hair and pretty blue eyes. I'm just skinny, pale, and have black hair and eyes. Gwendal would say that I'm too lenient on people and that I'm really naïve. I just look at it like this: I try to see the good in people." He sighed and looked off into the distance, silent for several minutes while he gathered his thoughts. "I think about him all the time. I go and do my work in his office just to be near him. He doesn't seem suspicious of me at all, probably thinks that I've finally grown up and am taking on my responsibilities. Yozak, I just don't know if it would work out between us. I-" Yuri fell silent again, having run out of words.

Yozak smiled. Now was his chance to play matchmaker. "My thought is to go for it. If it doesn't work out, Gwendal is the soul of discretion. He would never make fun of you, or spread it around that you have feelings for him. He would treat you with great respect and feel honored that the Maou cares for him."

After what felt like an eternity, Yuri spoke. "So, you think I really should go for it?"

"I sure do, kiddo. You should try this some time: just grab him and kiss him when you feel the moment calls for it. Watch what happens then." Yozak was a romantic at heart and couldn't resist all the juicy gossip this would create if it ever happened. Besides, he told himself with a hint of a smile, I have known Gwendal for most of my life and have never seen him happy. He needs this. He needs Yuri to love him.

"Yozak," Yuri broke into his thoughts.

"Yeah, kiddo?"

"I'm, starting, to feel kinda sick. Could we head back now?"

"Sure thing."

They had ridden for a couple of hours making small talk when Yuri groaned and grabbed his head. Yozak slowed the horses, but Yuri waved his other hand to say he was fine. They picked up pace again, both eager to be home. Yuri groaned louder, and this time he fell out of the saddle, slamming into the ground with a thud. Yozak was off of his horse and next to Yuri in a flash.

"Kiddo! Heika! Are you okay?"

Yozak put a hand on Yuri's shoulder. The younger man groaned again and sat up slowly, holding his head and stomach. The spy helped his king to his feet. Yuri doubled over, vomiting on the ground, some of it splashing on the spy's pants and shoes. Yuri apologized profusely for the mess. Yozak helped him wipe his face, and told Yuri that it would be fine.

"I'm sorry, Yozak. I've made a mess of things. It was supposed to be a fun day, and now it's ruined. My head is killing me and I feel really sick to my stomach. Could we just walk for a bit?"

Yozak took pity on a very green-looking Yuri and nodded. Yuri smiled weakly, grabbed the reins of his horse, and the pair continued on foot. Yozak suggested they swing by the river to have a swim. Simply thinking of the cool water made Yuri feel better, so he agreed to the short side trip. As he sank into the water, he let out a happy groan. Yozak let him relax while he stripped down to clean off his soiled clothes. Normally Yuri wouldn't have thought anything of this, but after their conversation that afternoon, he was slightly embarrassed and looked away while Yozak was naked. The spy smiled at this sudden awkwardness. He hoped relations with a certain stoic general would start to get better for his king after they got back.

They arrived back at the castle hours before anyone was expecting. Gunter flung himself at Yuri, asking him over and over again if he was okay. It took several minutes, but eventually Yuri convinced the older man that he just needed a good rest. Gisela was summoned to help ease Yuri's stomach pains, and after everyone was convinced that Yuri was indeed all right, they let him be ushered inside by Gunter. Yuri had left at that point, followed by Gunter wringing his hands.

Gwendal pulled Yozak aside before the spy could take off. "What happened out there? Why did you guys come back so early?"

"Heika didn't feel good and fell off his horse. He ended up throwing up mostly on the ground, but I'll still need to change clothes." He gave Gwendal a wry smile.

"He must really feel terrible. He hasn't fallen off his horse in many years. Maybe I should go check on him."

"Go right ahead, Sir. Show our Heika just how much you love him."

Gwendal froze in his tracks and looked at the spy. Yozak just grinned at him, tossed his hair as he turned, and strutted off towards the baths. The General opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out. His eyebrow twitched. Yozak could be heard chuckling from several yards away. Gwendal wanted to deny his love for Yuri, but it would be a lie. But surely, his love for Yuri was simply that of a loyal advisor for his king. He collected himself, schooled his features, and headed inside to make sure Gunter wasn't making a fool of himself.

_Well, that's chapter 1. How was it? I just can't help but to write Yuri and Gwendal together. I think they may have grown to be my favorite couple. Gwendal really deserves someone who will care for him. Anyway, enough of that, let me know what you think. I have chapter two ready and chapter three handwritten out. This should be a fun story!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own KKM or it's characters, just what I do to them in my stories. I hope you enjoy the story!_

The next day, footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway. Yuri scrambled back to his desk. Whoever it was, he wanted them to see him hard at work, not draped across the couch with video games, though he was very happy that they worked in Shin Makoku. A knock sounded softly on the door. Yuri gulped back the fear that Anissina had come to get him for another one of her experiments. She had been using him a lot lately.

"C-come in."

Yuri breathed a momentary sigh of relief that it was his general. Gwendal noticed Yuri working at his desk and a rarely seen twitch of a smile flashed on his face. Yuri's heart skipped a beat at that almost smile. He was 22 and single now and, up until two years ago, he had still feared Gwendal. Two years ago, however, everything changed. After that event, Yuri wanted to spend more time with Gwendal. The older mazoku had a calming presence that Yuri had never notice about him until what had happened. Every so often, he'd even go and do his paperwork with the older mazoku, spending hours longer than he ever used to. He tried to be subtle with his nearness, but his godfather had taken notice, even though he said nothing. Yuri was falling hard for the older mazoku, and Conrad would do nothing to come between his brother, his godson, and true happiness.

Gwendal cleared his throat. "Heika, is something wrong?"

"No, no, heh heh, uh why do you ask?"

"Your face is flushed. Are you feeling well? Should I call for Gisela?"

Yuri's face fell a little. Was Gwendal really that oblivious? He sighed. "I'm fine. What did you need?"

"I just wanted to discuss with you about the dignitaries coming to the castle next week. Because these will be peace negotiations, I was wanting to go over some protocol that we should follow and to see if you have any questions about how things should go."

Yuri shook his head. "All the time I've been king I've been doing peace negotiations. I really know how things should go. Well, or at least how I like them to go: quick, painless, and everyone agreeing with me."

Gwendal scowled and sat down across from Yuri. The king gave him a sheepish grin. It was Gwendal's turn for his heart to skip. He really liked that smile, even if it meant that Yuri had done something irritating. He wanted to lean over and kiss the younger man. Boy would that surprise him. Gwendal mentally shook his head. Yuri would never go for it. He still seemed terrified at times of the general, and for that Gwendal was sad. He really did have strong feelings for the king, though it had taken what happened two years ago for Gwendal to realize just what he felt for the king. Gwendal shifted in the chair and set a few documents on the desk. It was a list of the dignitaries. The pair began to discuss who was going to be there. Gwendal knew that Yuri understood and remembered all of the protocol, but this discussion was his way of being subtle about being close to Yuri. The general had never been good with words, and knew if he tried to tell Yuri how he felt he would just trip over his tongue and look like an idiot.

It took all of Yuri's strength to not shiver when Gwendal's hand brushed his as they looked over the documents. Gwendal noticed Yuri's unusual silence and was a little worried about his king. He almost brushed it off as the Maou's usual reluctance at being formal for dignitaries, but something in his eyes made Gwendal go ahead and ask the question.

"Heika, are you sure you're alright?"

"Well, I..." Go for it, just tell him that you like him. "I have had a really bad headache for quite a long time now." Crap, that went great.

"Oh, Heika, I'm sorry. Why didn't you say that before? You really should get some rest before the dignitaries get here. I will leave you in peace and send one of the maids with some hot tea. It always seems to help my headaches. Please, rest for a while. I'll come back to get you when the time comes." Gwendal packed up the papers and left the office. Yuri felt a keen sadness from Gwendal's absence. How was he ever going to tell that man how he felt? It wouldn't matter, though. Gwendal didn't feel the same way about him. The king didn't know how wrong he was.

Gwendal walked away from the Maou's office feeling a bit let down. He had wanted to spend more time in the younger man's company, but Yuri was clearly not feeling well. Maybe it was all for the better. Gwendal cracked half a smile and thought: the more time I spend with him, the weaker my defenses get. Pretty soon it will be all I can do to not confess my love to him. He shook his head and continued on to his own office. Yozak would be waiting for him with the most recent reports.

Upon entering his office, he found it eerily silent. Yozak should be here, he thought to himself. Then every nerve when on edge. The spy liked to keep his general on his toes and would attack every so often. Yuri always thought this was hilarious because it reminded him of an earth movie. Gwendal found it stressful and irritating, though he had to admit since the spy started this tradition, he'd been more alert than he had ever been before.

"Yozak? I know you're in here. In fact, I think you are behind the… curtains!" Gwendal threw them back and saw only the windows. He was about to turn around when he felt the tip of a knife pressed into his neck.

"Excellency, you didn't find me. You've gotten better. I was actually expecting you to find me today, but you seem very distracted. Is it Yuri-Heika? I know you just came from his office."

Gwendal growled and shoved the knife away. "It's nothing. Now, what information do you have for me this time?"

"Alls quiet in the field. Talks of the negotiations are spreading, but everyone seems excited. So, you mean to tell me that you feel nothing for the kiddo?"

"Leave it alone, Yozak, or you'll be looking for me hiding in the shadows."

"Oh, I don't think you could pull it off, Excellency." Yozak chuckled. "I think you should tell Heika how you feel about him. He might appreciate knowing."

Gwendal gave the spy a withering look, sat down at his desk, and started going through the letters he had to finish that day. Yozak grinned and sat down on the desk.

"Sir, you really should tell him. He's a wonderful kid and deserves to know."

"He's not a kid," Gwendal shot out. He realized what he said and his face burned in embarrassment.

"You're right, he's not. He's a wonderful young man, gorgeous, sexy, sweet… It's a wonder that someone hasn't snapped him up yet. Hell, I might pretty soon if no one else is going to show interest."

On that comment, the spy ducked out of the office before Gwendal could thrash him. Gwendal sat at his desk, staring blankly at the wall. Yozak wouldn't dare, would he, Gwendal thought to himself? Maybe I should say something to Yuri. He's not the type to be malicious if he doesn't feel the same way.

"AH-HEM!"

Gwendal's head snapped up. Gunter stood in the doorway, a smirk on his face. "If who doesn't feel the same way?"

The grim mazoku dropped his head onto his desk with ill-concealed embarrassment. That last sentence had been spoken aloud. He would have to tell the truth of his feelings to his best friend. Gunter would never let him get away with a lie, and always seemed to know when he was telling one. He heard his friend take a chair on the opposite side of the desk and took a deep breath. Dinner was hours away, and he'd have plenty of time to unload onto the slim mazoku across from him.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

After his disastrous meeting with Gwendal and some hot tea, Yuri went in search of Conrad. He had some serious things to discuss with his godfather, if he could even get the words past his throat. Yuri had always been able to talk to Conrad about anything, but it would be a little uncomfortable to tell him he had a thing for his brother. They grabbed gloves and a ball and went outside to play catch.

"So, Yuri, I know there is something on your mind or you would not have been so insistent to play catch. What's going on?"

Yuri's face turned three shades of red. His heart pounded. Conrad gave him a strange look but said nothing, knowing that if Yuri could talk about it he would. After a few minutes of throwing the ball back and forth, Yuri paused, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"I have a confession to make, but I'm not sure how to go about it. It's a little strange to try to talk to you about. I mean, I have talked to someone, well Yozak, but it's not the same." Yuri moved to sit down next to one of the fountains and Conrad followed. He pushed a hand against his head before he spoke. His head had been killing him off and on for the last several weeks, and today was no different. "It's just that there's this person that I have really strong feelings for, but they are totally clueless. I-I don't even know how to tell them or if they even share the same feelings. How do you tell someone you are in love with them without sounding like a fool? What if they don't share the same feelings? It would make everything so uncomfortable."

Conrad looked at his godson. "Yuri, I think the person you are talking about would be very happy to know that you care for them. In fact if I could tell you a little known secret, this person loves you very much. They wouldn't have helped you out two years ago if they didn't."

How Conrad always seemed to read his mind, Yuri would never know, but he didn't mind that he wouldn't have to come out and say specifically who it was. "I don't know if you're right about that. He doesn't seem to notice me that way. Besides, you... you don't mind that I have feelings for your brother?"

"Yuri, Gwendal is very dear to me. We have been through a lot together and I wish him all the happiness in the world. You also mean a lot to me. If it would make the two of you happy to be together, I wouldn't stop it if my life depended on it. And yes, Yuri, he notices you. His eyes barely leave you when you're in the room."

"I...really? Well, uh, wow! So, how do I go about telling him?"

"I think you'll figure that out when the time is right. Now, let's play catch for a little bit longer. Dinner should be coming soon." The two men stood and moved to an open space. "Even so, Yuri, if I'm wrong and Gwendal doesn't love you, he is the soul of discretion. It will be taken as an honor for the Maou to have feelings for him. He won't spread it around or be snide or malicious."

His godfather's words so closely echoed those of Yozak that he paused for a moment. Maybe he really should say something to Gwendal. It couldn't hurt, right? What's the worst that could happen? A refusal?

TTTTTTTTTTTTT

A few days later, Yuri's head still throbbed as he sat down for dinner. Another long day of peace talks had worn him down to a frazzle. Gunter and Conrad exchanged worried glances while Gwendal merely raised an eyebrow. When Yuri made eye contact with him, the king could see that Gwendal was more worried about him than he seemed. Yuri looked like he was about to faint into his plate of food, but tried to smile reassuringly at the group around the table. After thirty minutes of uncomfortable silence spent watching Yuri pick at his food, everyone stood.

"Heika, you should head on to bed." Gunter's worried voice called out.

"Yes, Heika, I'll walk you back to your room."

Gwendal stood and took Yuri's arm. Yuri nodded, apologized to everyone, and allowed himself to be led away. Normally he would be excited that Gwendal was touching him, but his head hurt too bad to be too excited. The pair was silent as they walked to Yuri's room. When they arrived, Gwendal opened the door and turned to leave, but Yuri grabbed his sleeve.

"Please come inside Gwendal. I need to talk to you." Yuri swallowed his nervousness. Where had the sudden bravery come from? Could he actually follow through with it?

"Okay, Heika." Gwendal looked very confused. Has my conduct been reprehensible lately, he wondered?

Yuri's heart pounded as he pulled his general inside and over to his couch. He licked his lips nervously, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Gwendal, I," Yuri took a deep breath. "I was... wondering what you... thought of me."

Gwendal's eyebrow arched. He needed to tread very lightly with his comments or risk embarrassment and expose his true feelings. "Well, Heika, I think you have grown into a fine young man and a capable ruler. I feel comfortable leaving the country in your hands. You have proven your worth time and again- Heika, what is it?"

Yuri had a frustrated look on his face. "That's not what I mean. I mean me personally." Yuri's face burned with embarrassment. When realization finally struck Gwendal, his did too. "I want to know how you feel about me in _that_ way."

"Heika," Gwendal almost stuttered, not knowing quite what to do. He watched as Yuri flinched and grabbed his head. "Yuri, are you okay?"

"Yes, Gwendal. Just answer the question. Please." He loved hearing Gwendal use his actual name instead of being so formal.

Gwendal cleared his throat nervously. His king was truly asking him this. He wanted to declare himself, but is that what Yuri wanted to hear? Surely the younger man didn't love him like that… did he? Gwendal decided to avoid the question as neatly as possible. Yuri deserved better than what he could give him, someone younger, at the very least. "I think you are a very good-looking young man. You are kind, sweet, and caring. I think you will make someone a fine husband someday."

"But not you?"

The look of vulnerability and longing was almost too much for Gwendal. Maybe Yuri did love him. "I actually hadn't thought about it before. I always thought your affections lay elsewhere." Lies, it was a pack of lies, but Gwendal couldn't let Yuri fall for him.

"W-what would you do if I said I was interested in you? That, well," Yuri cleared his throat and looked Gwendal square in the eyes, "that I'm in love with you?"

Gwendal was floored. He had to stop Yuri before this got out of hand. "Heika, I'm flattered you would even think something like that, but I think you need to get some sleep. We'll see how you feel about it in the morning."

Gwendal stood to leave, but paused when he saw how upset Yuri looked. He reached a hand down to help his king to his feet and realized as Yuri stood that he shouldn't have done it. Yuri stood faster than the general thought he should have. Before he could react, Yuri had thrown his arms around his neck, kissing him passionately. Gwendal thought at first about pulling away, but the kiss just felt... right. He couldn't resist sliding his arms around Yuri, pulling the younger man tighter against him and deepening the kiss. Gwendal growled and pushed Yuri up against the wall. Yuri moaned into the kiss, pressing himself tighter still against the older mazoku. He pulled back a few minutes later with a lopsided grin on his face. Both men were breathless. He opened his mouth to say something, but then a look of severe pain crossed his face. He grabbed his head as his legs buckled.

"Yuri! Yuri, what's wrong?" Gwendal quickly carried his semi-unconscious king to his bed. "Guards!" his voice thundered across the room. Two guards burst in, swords drawn. "Quickly get Gisela and Conrad. The Heika is hurt."

The guards rushed out without a single word. Gwendal knelt beside Yuri. He looked at Yuri's pain filled face and made a decision. His Heika deserved to know the truth. He summoned up all his courage, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Yuri, you deserve someone better than me. I... I've loved you for a long time, but you always seemed too afraid of me to even think about caring for me. Then after what happened with Wolfram, I knew you weren't as afraid of me, but I was sure I'd remind you of my brother. I would never in a million years have imagined that you would share my feelings." Gwendal let out a huge sigh. "No, that part's not true. I didn't pursue you because I thought you had feelings for Conrad. And I thought you were too scared of me. But now," Yuri cut him off with a finger over his lips. The younger man smiled weakly before passing out, his outstretched hand dropping with a thump onto the bed. "Yuri, please be okay," Gwendal whispered.

Gwendal felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned. He knew Gisela had heard his speech by the look on her face.

"Don't worry Gwendal. We'll fix the Heika in no time."

Gwendal moved back as Gisela pushed her maryoku to her hands and held them over Yuri.

"Where was he hurt?"

"His head seemed to be bothering him. He was mostly awake until a second ago, and then he passed out completely."

"Ah, okay."

As Gisela moved her hands to his head, Conrad and Murata walked in and stood silently beside Gwendal. Not ten seconds passed before Gisela yelped and yanked her hands back as if she'd been burned.

"There's something in there. A, a mass of some sort. It's not alive, it's not even magic, but it's still seeming to try to eat at his brain. I can't do anything about it." The men had never seen Gisela that close to tears. A thought struck Murata and he gulped. "Gisela, let me have a look."

She moved away and Murata placed his hands on either side of Yuri's head. Everyone was silent as the Great Sage tried to work his magic. After a few minutes, he too yanked his hands back. He couldn't make eye contact with the occupants of the room. Tears pooled in his eyes. How could this happen to his best friend?

"What he has is what we on Earth call a brain tumor." Conrad gasped. He had spent enough time on earth to know what that meant. Gisela and Gwendal stood in confusion. "I'll explain on the way to the temple. We have to get him to Earth quickly. Conrad, if you could carry him."

Conrad moved to get Yuri, but Gwendal beat him to the young man. He watched as his older brother kissed Yuri softly before picking him up. The other two in the room looked at each other, surprised. Conrad bit back a worried smile. Yuri must have overcome his shyness and talked to Gwendal. The soldier hoped Yuri wasn't going to be sicker than he could be. Dear Shino, let it be just a simple tumor. For Gwendal's sake, at least.

Murata spoke quickly on the ride to the temple. "Sometimes the tumor isn't bad. It can be removed and the person survives. Sometimes, especially if too much time has passed, the person will die."

Gwendal gripped Yuri tighter to his chest on those last words. Heika had been complaining of a headache for several weeks now. Could it be too late? He swallowed back the lump in his throat and set his jaw. Geika seemed pretty convinced that these earth doctors would be able to take care of him.

TTTTTTTTTTTTT

News spread like wildfire that the king's life was in danger. Gunter insisted that he join them for the trip to his Heika's world. He needed to be near him and make sure that he would be well taken care of. Ulrike knew the group was headed her direction and had already made preparations for the journey. Just as they were about to jump into the water, she kissed the king on his forehead and whispered a word of prayer. Gwendal was the last to go through. Ulrike grabbed his arm.

"Gwendal von Voltaire. Never underestimate your value. You are worth more than all the gold in the world, especially to the person who loves you. Yuri Heika already understands this. Now that you hold his heart in your hands, please take care and don't break it."

Gwendal shook his head sadly. "Heika deserves so much better than me. I should never have let my guard down. Now I have made a mess of things and I don't know if it can ever be fixed."

Ulrike watched Gwendal disappear in the fountain and prayed, "Great Shino, please show him how wrong he is."

_Well, that's chapter 2! Let me know what you think. Chapter 3 is written, just need to do some editing. This story seems to be coming together better than any I've written. I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. _


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own KKM or its characters, just what I do to them! :)_

When they had all arrived safely on Earth, Gwendal told everyone that he would break the news to Yuri's mother himself. He felt that he was mostly to blame as the one who spent the most time around Yuri, in their offices. In his mind, he should have noticed Yuri-Heika getting sick.

"Gwendal, no, we can all tell her together." Conrad put a hand on his brother's arms.

Gwendal shook his head. "No little brother. This is something I need to do. I'm his General. I should have watched over him better." And I need to talk to his mother about something a little more personal, he thought to himself. "Just get to the hospital and I will follow with his family as soon as I can."

Conrad saw the look in his brother's eyes and nodded sadly. Without saying another word, he gathered everyone else and started for the hospital that was only two blocks away.

Gwendal squared his shoulders and prepared to face Yuri's mother, Jennifer. He opened the back door to the house and was greeted with the excited hug and hello that he expected. She didn't tackle him this time, thankfully. She started looking around and asking about Yuri, words flying out of her mouth at ninety miles an hour. One look at his face, though and Jennifer quickly settled down.

"What is it, Gwen-chan? What has happened to my Yuri?"

His eyebrow twitched at the use of his nickname. "Something has happened that I'm told I could not have prevented. Something that no one in the other world has had to deal with before. You may want to sit down for this."

Jennifer started trembling. Yuri's General, his Chief Military Advisor, had never looked so shaken. He looked as though the weight of both worlds sat on his shoulders. A terrible thing was going on and she desperately wanted to see her Yu-chan. The pair sat down on the back step.

"Gwendal, please just tell me."

"Geika said," Gwendal cleared his throat. "Geika said that it looks like Yuri has a-a brain tumor. He said it might be cancer. I just don't understand what that is! Why can't Gisela heal him?" He buried his face in his hands and just sat there.

"Oh. Oh, dear." Jennifer sat in a daze next to this mazoku that was crumbling before her eyes. She knew there was something else, or Gwendal wouldn't be so broken. Several minutes passed in uncomfortable silence before a determined look settled on her face and she stood with her fist raised. "Gwen-chan! We will fight this. Nothing stands a chance against a mother's love." She pulled Gwendal inside the house. "Now, I'm going to call Yu-chan's papa and big brother Shori. We will all meet at the hospital. Everything will be fine."

The Maou's mother scurried around, gathering things and making calls, while Gwendal stood in shock at how positive Jennifer was being. Conrad and Geika had acted as though the world were ending. She was acting as though Yuri merely had a bad cold. They went to the car and Jennifer drove toward the hospital. Panic settled over him as she weaved crazily in and out of traffic. He jumped when Jennifer shrieked.

"Oh Gwen-Gwen! I just realized something. You called Yuri by his first name. In all these years, I have never heard you do that. You are always so formal. Is there something going on there?"

Gwendal blushed, frowned, and looked at the floor. "I really don't know. He said he was in love with me right before he passed out. I'm not sure if he meant it for real or not. His head was hurting pretty bad and he could have been saying stuff without realizing it."

Jennifer touched Gwendal's arm and looked him in the eye. "My Yuri wouldn't say something like that if he didn't mean it. And you, Gwen-chan, how do you feel?"

Gwendal thought about lying. He thought about telling her that all he felt was that of a loyal subject for his king, but he knew that somehow she knew the truth. "I couldn't help it. He makes it easy to love him. I didn't mean to, but I really have fallen for your son."

"Oh Yu-chan!" Jennifer squealed, nearly driving off the road. "You always have such handsome, strong men falling for you! Oh this is so exciting. Yu-chan will definitely get better just to be with you."

Gwendal couldn't speak. In fact, all Gwendal could do was grip the door and dashboard so hard it left finger marks. Jennifer practically flew into the parking lot at the hospital, squealing to a halt in a parking space. The terrified mazoku had to fight the urge to drop to his knees and kiss the ground as he exited the car.

"Look, Gwennie. There are my other two men!"

Gwendal looked up, eye twitching even worse. This woman was just like his own mother, minus the free-love bit. Walking toward them was Shori and Shoma with grim faces.

"Mother! Why didn't you take a cab?"

"It's Mama, Sho-chan. Call me Mama! And Gwen-Gwen didn't mind my driving at all, did you?" The men looked over at the older Mazoku and he shuddered. Shoma patted his shoulder sympathetically and smiled, knowing all to well what his wife's driving habits were.

"Well, let's get inside and see if anything has been found out about Yuri. Mother, Father, you two go on ahead. I need to ask Gwendal something."

Shoma and Jennifer turned and walked toward the hospital. Shori raised an eyebrow at Gwendal when he heard his mother say something about his baby brother holding his general's heart. Gwendal simply looked uncomfortable.

"So, apparently I have more than one question to ask you. But first things first, what happened to my little brother? I mean, Mom said it was a brain tumor, but how long has this been going on?"

"I don't know," Gwendal said as they moved toward the hospital. "He's been complaining of a headache for several weeks now, but we had peace negotiations to prepare for and then actually attend, so it didn't seem unusual. I get bad headaches when I'm stressed. I-I didn't think anything about it."

After finding out what room Yuri was being kept in, the two men climbed onto the elevator. Gwendal knew what question was coming next and cringed inwardly.

"So, now, about this other thing…?"

Gwendal cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "Your mother is jumping to conclusions. Yuri… Heika doesn't feel that way about me. At least, I'm pretty sure. He said he loved me right before passing out, but I don't think he meant it like that." You're lying to yourself, his conscience screamed at him. He said he was _in_ love with you.

"But you love him, don't you?"

"I couldn't help it," Gwendal whispered brokenly. "Believe me, I tried, but your brother has a special way about him that breaks into a person's heart and latches on. He…he-"

The elevator doors opened onto the waiting room. Gwendal cleared his throat again and schooled his features. No one needed to see him break down. He was always the strong one. But damn it, he thought to himself, sometimes I would really like to be cared for. It would be nice for someone else to be the strong one for a change.

Shori touched Gwendal's arm. "Hey, Gwendal. He'll be okay. He's always pulled through no matter what's happened."

Gwendal nodded and excused himself to go to the bathroom, telling Shori that he could go on ahead. Once alone in the bathroom, the older mazoku's tough exterior cracked and he sank slowly to the floor against the wall. He pulled his knees up to his chest and draped his arms over his head as though he were fending off an attacker. So lost was he in his own grief, that he never heard the bathroom door open. In walked Conrad, looking for him.

"Are you okay?"

Gwendal wiped his face and stood up. "Yes, of course, little brother. Why do you ask?"

Conrad put a hand on Gwendal's shoulder. "You don't have to be the rock for everybody. I know you love him. You can tell me anything, you know? Please, Gwendal, don't keep it bottled up inside or you will make yourself sick."

The older mazoku crumbled. He grabbed Conrad in a hug, dropping his forehead onto the younger man's shoulder. Sobs wracked his body as he let everything he was feeling out for the first time. Conrad rubbed his back and let him cry. Maybe finally his brother would realize that by keeping everything inside, he was doing himself more harm then good. Several minutes passed before Gwendal was able to pull himself together. He washed his face and put on the stoic face he always wore. Conrad sighed in frustration.

"Thank you, Conrad, for being here for me. I appreciate being able to let go once in a while. However, I think I will be able to handle myself now."

"Gwendal…"

That mazoku turned and walked out the door. He wanted to see his Yuri before he could break down again. He walked down the hallway, followed by his younger brother. It struck Gwendal that he'd just thought of Yuri as his. Maybe things could happen between the two of them, but Gwendal would let Yuri bring up the matter when he was feeling better. No need to bother with it when he was so sick. Both men paused outside the room. Gwendal's unease showed on his face for a split second. Conrad once again placed a hand on his brother's arm.

"It'll be okay. Just go on in and see him."

As Gwendal reached for the door handle, the door was yanked open. Gwendal's jaw dropped to the floor. He stood in shock for a couple of seconds. Jennifer dragged him inside and shoved him down into a chair next to the bed.

"Talk to him. Tell him he needs to wake up and see his mama. They say that people in a coma can hear the words of their loved ones, and you definitely are one of those."

"Miko-" Shoma started.

"It's Jennifer! And Gwennie does love our boy, don't you?"

Gwendal's throat was instantly dry. He hadn't actually told Yuri's father to his face that he loved him, but knew that Jennifer had spilled the beans even before leaving the parking lot. What he didn't know was how Shoma took the news, and how he felt about his son loving another man. He had nothing to worry about. Shoma smiled gently and nodded his acceptance. Gwendal's shifted his gaze to the still form on the bed. Yuri looked so pale, even against the stark white of the hospital sheets. Tears filled his eyes. He could hear everyone shuffling out of the room to give him privacy.

"Yuri, your mother said you could hear me. Please, you have to get better. There are a lot of people who care about you and are depending on you. I don't think you realize just how much your mother loves you. Not to mention Conrad and Geika and Shori and great Shino don't get me started on Gunter… and… me. I _do_ love you, Yuri. Just get better and I will show you how much."

Gwendal took a hold of Yuri's hand and laid his head on the bed. In minutes, he was sound asleep, the stress of the day catching up to him. If he had known about the conversation in the waiting room, he would never have been able to fall asleep so easily.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

"So he is the man that Yuri has fallen for, huh?" Shoma asked the group.

"Yes, he is." Conrad replied warily. He had known Yuri's father for years and could tell when the man was upset or frustrated.

"Is it okay, you know, for him to be with another man?"

"In our world, that kind of thing is not looked down upon. We value love in all its forms, even if it is a same-sex relationship."

Shoma nodded and said nothing for a long time. After a while he looked up, piercing Conrad with a hard stare. "Is your brother worthy at all of my precious son? Will he be able to take care of him and love him the way my Yuri deserves?"

Conrad had to bite back an angry response. Shoma didn't mean anything against Gwendal, but Conrad _did not_ like anyone even thinking he brother was less than worthy of the best. Gunter put a calming hand on Conrad's arm and answered for the younger man. "Gwendal would die for Yuri, and on several occasions nearly has. Something happened a couple of years ago that Gwendal saved him from. After that, Yuri and he have been very close. I know my friend will always be there for our Heika, as will all of us. I just know that none of us will hold our Heika's heart the way that Gwendal does already."

"What happened?" asked Jennifer.

Conrad had cooled off enough to speak. "If Yuri hasn't told you already, then we won't be the ones to do so. It's up to him to share that bit of information as it concerns him and not the rest of us. Just know that Gwendal protected Heika where I did not. I failed him, it was only the one time, but I failed him and I can never take that back. Though, since he seems to have found love out of the deal, I don't know if I would want to take it back."

Shori opened his mouth to say something, but a man in scrubs interrupted his thought. "Are you the Shibuyas?"

"Yes, that's us. What have you found out about Yuri?" Jennifer nearly mauled the doctor in her haste to know about her son.

"Well, from the biopsy we did, it came up negative for cancer." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "We'll have to schedule him for surgery to remove the tumor, but he will be absolutely fine. The only drawback is that he'll have to stay in the hospital for a month or so after the surgery. We need to make sure that he hasn't had any severe trauma from the surgery or tumor and we'll get him to do some physical therapy. Now, do you all have any questions?"

The group from earth was so happy that all they could do was shake their heads. The rest of the crowd, though, was still a little confused. Earth terms and traditions were so foreign to them. Gunter was the first to speak up.

"So, Hei- Yuri will be okay? He's not going to die?"

"No, Sir, he will not. We have our best neurosurgeon prepping in the O.R. and he will take care of Yuri better than anybody."

Gunter nodded, relieved, though still a little confused about the word neurosurgeon and O.R. The doctor took his leave at that point, and all was silent. Conrad glanced down the corridor to Yuri's closed door. Someone needed to tell Gwendal that all would be well. He made mention of that fact and everybody nodded. As his brother, Conrad felt compelled to be the one to bring the good news. He stood, bowed respectfully to Shoma and Jennifer, and then strode down the hallway. Conrad cracked the door open slowly, wanting to make sure Gwendal knew he was coming in.

"Gwendal," he called softly. No answer came. He stuck his head around the door and looked toward the bed. What he saw nearly brought on his tears. Gwendal had a hold of Yuri's hand and had laid his head on the king's stomach. By the slow, steady movement of Gwendal's chest, Conrad knew his brother was asleep. He backed out of the room and shut the door.

Once back in the waiting room, everyone noticed Conrad's teary eyes. He sat down heavily on one of the sofas and dropped his head back. Gunter came over and sat down beside him. Their relationship had been strong over the years, Gunter being almost like a father to Conrad when his own father died, so Gunter felt that he could comfort Conrad at the very least.

"Do you want to talk about it?" the silver-haired man asked quietly.

Conrad sighed. "My brother looks so lost and helpless. It terrifies me. He's always been the one to hold strong through everything. When my father died, I never cried in front of my mother. I put on a strong face for her. In front of Gwendal, though, I knew I could let go without him making fun of me or telling me that I needed to suck it up. I-I… Gunter, I just don't know what to do to make him happy. I'm afraid that if Yuri doesn't pull through, Gwendal will never be able to cope with it."

"Well, that won't happen. That doctor here earlier told us that Yuri was going to be just fine. Whatever magic they use will heal our Heika."

Gunter pulled the younger man into his arms and held him as his shoulders shook. Geika and Yuri's family looked on with helpless sadness. None of them had ever seen Conrad crack before. It was the most heartbreaking thing they had witnessed. With Yuri's surgery coming up in the next hour, everyone hoped that Conrad could pull himself together and be the sword and shield his Heika needed. If not, who then would comfort Gwendal while Yuri was recovering?

_Well, that's chapter 3. The next chapter should be a lot more fun! Thanks to everyone for your reviews, they are greatly appreciated. I know I'm on the right track if people enjoy what's being written._


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer as always: I do not own KKM or it's characters, just what I do to them! Also, things took a slightly different turn and this chapter may not be as happy as I once thought they would, but don't worry. I'm a sucker for happy endings!  
_

Yuri woke up several days later in a room he didn't recognize. It looked like a hospital room back on earth, but the last thing he remembered was being in his room in Shin Makoku with Gwendal. Oh great Shino, Yuri's mind yelped. He had confessed to Gwendal, hadn't he, and kissed him. The kiss had been amazing! Unless it was all a dream, which Yuri wouldn't be surprised if it had been. He couldn't imagine working up the courage to say what he did. Then what happened? Movement on his left caught his attention and he turned as best as he could to see what it was. Gwendal sprawled in one of the hospital recliners by his bed, head thrown back, mouth dangling open like a hooked fish, and completely asleep. Yuri could have watched Gwendal sleep forever, but someone on his right side cleared their throat softly. He rolled over gently to see who it was. His brain felt fuzzy and just the slight movement made him dizzy. Gunter was on his right side with a novel, and glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

"It's nice to see you're awake, Heika." Gunter said in a soft voice filled with relief. "I'm not sure how much more Gwendal could have taken with you being unconscious like that."

Yuri smiled weakly. "I can't imagine why he'd be so worried, unless he was afraid of losing me as a Maou."

"Heika, Gwendal-" Gunter caught himself. He didn't want to bring up what he knew had happened unless Yuri was ready to hear it. "Gwendal thinks you are very special, just like the rest of us. Now, how do you feel?"

Yuri reached up and gingerly touched his head. He felt bandages wrapped clear around his entire head and winced.

"I guess I do feel kind of crappy. What happened?"

Gunter never got the chance to answer because the doctor walked in at that moment. He was pleased to see Yuri awake finally and went about checking his vitals and the bandages on his head. After making sure that everything was still good physically, he checked the IV bags.

"Well, Yuri, everything seems to be in good shape. You seem to be healing at an almost alarming rate. Your incision site is almost completely healed over, though I think your hair will take a little while to grow back. It's only been a week since your surgery, however, and you've only just woke up. We will be keeping you here for at least another three weeks to make sure that everything inside and out has healed properly, and that the neurosurgeon didn't rewire your brain when he was in there." The doctor chuckled at the joke. "So, someone will be in to remove your catheter here in a little bit and we will start having you at least walk to the bathroom. Next week we will start on walking down the hallway and back!"

By the time the doctor left, Yuri had nearly convinced himself that what had happened with Gwendal had been a deliciously impossible dream. Gwendal didn't touch him at all and barely looked at him. It was no surprise, then, when Gwendal got up from his chair and left the room, mumbling something about telling everyone in the waiting room that Yuri was awake. If he really had been in love with the king, then he would've sent Gunter, not wanting to leave his beloved's side.

Gunter stood and excused himself to follow Gwendal out the door. Yuri felt abandoned and utterly alone, though he would never complain to his general about such feelings. The silver-haired mazoku knew his long time friend was bothered by something and he wanted to know what. He said nothing as the made their way to the waiting room. Yuri's mother sprinted down the hallway when she heard the news, followed at a more appropriate pace by Shori and Conrad. Shoma had left for work three hours earlier. Gwendal and Gunter sat side by side on one of the couches.

"Gwendal, is something wrong?"

"I… Gunter, you know I've never been good at expressing my feelings. I've always left the more demonstrative displays up to you. What I want now is to go into that room and declare myself all over again, maybe even slap his cheek, but I can't. I have to wait and see if he remembers what happened." Gwendal touched his lips, face burning. He clammed up after that.

Gunter draped an arm around his best friend. "Gwendal, of course Yuri will remember. He has loved you for a long time." He added mentally: though I do want to know what happened…

The two men sat in silence, simply enjoying each other's calming presence. Now that Yuri-Heika was awake, things would be a lot different. Geika would be returning to earth that afternoon and Gunter would head to Shin Makoku. Someone needed to take care of the country while Yuri healed.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Meanwhile, chaos reined in Yuri's hospital room. Jennifer had to be held back by Shori or she would have snatched her youngest son off of his bed into a bone-crushing hug. Conrad stood in the shadows, arms crossed, and smiled at the family. Yuri was still recovering from his ordeal, but he was definitely surrounded by loved ones. Just knowing someone cared about you was sometimes the best medicine in the world. Conrad tilted his head to one side. The look that flashed across Yuri's face, or was he seeing things. There was a hint of sadness that Conrad caught in his king's eyes, but maybe he was misinterpreting it.

"Conrad, are you going to come give me a hug?"

The soldier pushed off the wall and moved over to his godson. The two embraced for several moments, and then Conrad sat on the bed across from Jennifer. They explained in great detail what had happened from the time Gwendal had called for the guards until his waking up today. Conrad swore mentally that he saw a shadow pass through the young man's eyes at the mere mention of Gwendal's name. Shori teased him about scaring the life out of everybody, and the small group had a good laugh. The brief moment of tension had been broken.

An hour later, the nurse came in to check Yuri's vitals, give him his meds, and take out his catheter. He begged his mom to leave the room, but she would have none of that. The nurse had be at her job for years, so she had seen it all. There was nothing to be ashamed of with her.

"I'm your Mama. I gave birth to you and bathed you and dressed you for all those years. Whatever you have, I've already seen."

The king gave Conrad a pleading look, but the soldier only raised his hands in defeat. There was no messing with Mama Jennifer when it came to her babies. If she wanted to stay in the room for the rather personal event, then there was no changing her mind. Yuri stared at the television the entire time, wishing he could be somewhere else. He prayed that Gwendal wouldn't barge in at that moment. He hadn't bathed with the general for several years, and after the very real feeling of rejection, he definitely did not want the man seeing his…parts. After the nurse was finished, Yuri was exhausted from the emotional strain of everything. He wanted to cry that Gwendal wasn't at his side, but he put on a brave face and smiled at everybody.

"I've been out of it for over a week. You'd think I wouldn't be so tired." He yawned. "I'm sorry, Mama, I'm going to sleep now."

Yuri barely finished his sentence before his eyes drifted shut. Jennifer sat in the chair, not wanting to leave her son. Conrad and Shori took their leave and joined Gwendal and Gunter in the waiting room. One look at Gwendal's face and Conrad knew something was wrong.

"Gwendal what is it?"

"Nothing! Why does everyone think something is wrong? I used to be told that I had a permanent scowl on my face. Maybe this is normal for me. Great Shino!"

Conrad jerked back as if his older brother had slapped him. Something was wrong, but he knew Gwendal would have to make his own mind up to tell him. Shori suggested the group go get lunch and both brothers jumped at the chance to be doing something instead of sitting awkwardly in the waiting room.

TTTTTTTTTTTT

The next three weeks flew by. Yuri underwent a battery of tests and was pushed to his physical limits daily. Nearly every afternoon, he'd fall exhausted into his bed. Throughout the entire process, Gwendal never left his side, though he never showed more than brotherly affection for the king. The older mazoku mopped his face when he vomited, caught him when dizziness would rush over him, and helped him stand when he didn't think he could go on. In the evenings, Yuri taught Gwendal how to play video games. Several times they ordered a pizza, much to the chagrin of the nurses who were trying to keep Yuri on a healthy diet. Never once, in all their time spent together, did he make mention of their feelings. Gwendal continued to treat Yuri as he would one of his brothers, not wanting to make Yuri feel obligated to confess to Gwendal something he didn't really feel.

When he was finally given the go ahead, Yuri packed up his stuff and left the hospital. He spent another week at his parent's home, going on long walks by himself to clear his head. Gwendal did things to his heart and Yuri knew he couldn't take the brotherly treatment for much longer.

Once back in Shin Makoku, everyone made sure Yuri took it easy. He still went through his routines: paperwork with Gwendal (though _that_ was really awkward), lessons with Gunter, and practice with Conrad. They would cut the activities short if he looked even remotely tired. Another month passed with brotherly attention from Gwendal, and it finally got to be too much for the king. He exploded one morning while they were going over paperwork.

"Gwendal!"

The general looked up, startled.

"Gwendal, tell me something," the younger man continued quietly. "Before I passed out, did we, uh, did we say anything majorly important, or was it just a dream?"

Gwendal told himself he wouldn't lie to the king, but he couldn't help himself. Yuri really did deserve someone better than a cranky, old mazoku like himself.

"You must have been dreaming. What was it that we were supposed to have said, Heika?"

The formal tone in Gwendal's voice hit him like a freight train. Yuri choked back a sob and shrugged. "Nothing really, I suppose." He took a deep breath. "I'm not feeling too good, so we'll call it a day for today. I'm going to go for a walk."

Gwendal watched Yuri bolt out the door and wanted to rip out his own tongue. He could've saved them both from heartbreak by declaring himself again, but it really would be better for the younger man the sooner he got over him. Gwendal gripped the arms of his chair to keep from running after the love of his life. An hour later, Gunter slipped into the room and stood in front of Gwendal, hands on his hips. He was livid. Gwendal wiped a weary hand over his face.

"What do you need Gunter?"

"How could you?" he practically screamed. "You two are _in love_ with each other and Gwendal, until you admit it to him, you both will be miserable!"

"I-just couldn't. He deserves someone better. He'll see that, in time."

"No, he won't. You don't understand, Gwendal. He is deeply in love with you and-"

A knock sounded on the door. Yozak strode inside, worry etched across his face.

"The kiddo is gone! I can't find him anywhere. I've checked with Ulrike-sama. She said he is still in Shin Makoku, but she couldn't say where. What happened to make him run away like that?"

Gwendal sighed heavily and the other two men looked at him, anger covering their faces. No one said anything for quite a few minutes and the room temperature seemed to drop several degrees. This was the scene Conrad walked in on.

"So I take it you all know that Yuri is missing?" Nobody moved a muscle. "O-kay… Who can tell me why? Yozak?" The spy shook his head. "Gunter?" Gunter's gaze narrowed dangerously and he looked daggers at Gwendal. "Brother? Please tell me you had nothing to do with it." Gwendal's silence was confirmation. "Merciful Shino! Gwendal, what did you do?"

Gwendal cleared his throat and said hoarsely, "I told him that he had only dreamed we loved each other."

"You jack-ass! Why?"

"Yur-Heika needs to love someone more appropriate. Someone closer to his age. Someone who can be demonstrative, the way he deserves. I am not the right person. Conrad, he loves you too. Maybe you could be there for him and love him."

"I cannot fill the hole in his heart. Besides, I love him, but I'm not _in _love with him. I love someone else." Yozak's eyebrow raised and Conrad ran an agitated hand through his hair not realizing what he had just revealed. "Damnit Gwendal, I can't fix a broken heart."

Gwendal stood slowly, not making eye contact with anyone. His voice shook as he spoke. "What if you guys are wrong? What if he doesn't actually love me and I tell him I love him? What then?"

Gunter walked around the desk and pulled his unusually insecure friend into his arms. "We're not wrong. Go, Gwendal. Find our Heika and love him the way none of us can."

Gwendal met the eyes of the occupants in the office. They were all serious. They thought Yuri…truly loved him. He nodded slowly, shock settling over him. His heart was pounding out of his chest and his mouth was suddenly dry with fear. He couldn't deny his feelings any longer, and suddenly he didn't want to. Ulrike had said that he was more precious that all the gold in the world to those that love him. He wanted to be able to give that kind of love to Yuri.

"Gwendal," Conrad spoke quietly. "Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"

"No, I- wait a minute, he may try to go to earth. He likes to seek refuge there when he is very upset or hurt. His mother makes an amazing curry that seems to soothe the soul. I can try there first. The rest of you search the castle grounds, except for you, Yozak. You check all the places you and Heika like to visit when you go on your rides. We will find him. We have to find him." The last sentence was whispered softly, almost to himself.

Gunter put an arm on Gwendal's shoulder. "I'll go with you. Anissina," both men shuddered, "she has an invention she came up with a long time ago that can find the king if he is within twenty miles of the castle. I will tell her to use it, and then we can escape to the temple. Ulrike should be able to get us to earth before Anissina kidnaps us!"

Gwendal nodded and smiled with a grimace. Everyone parted ways at that point with orders to report back to Gwendal's office in two days with their findings, or bring the king back as soon as he was found, if at all possible. Gunter talked to Anissina, who had to dig in her junk pile for the machine. By the time she found it and had chased after Gunter and Gwendal, they had been transported to earth.

When the two men arrived, Jennifer was surprised to see them, especially without Yuri.

"Gwennie, where is my little Yu-chan?"

"Gwennie?" Gunter asked with a smirk. He received a punch on the shoulder for his comment.

"That is what we were hoping to ask you. You see, I told him something that wasn't true. He believed me and was very hurt by my comments. I want to find him and make things right. He deserves someone better, but he also deserves someone that will love him wholeheartedly and unconditionally."

Jennifer gave Gwendal a bone-crushing hug. "He hasn't come home, but I can send Shori to your world to let you know if he does. You have to find him and make him see that you love him." She turned to go into the house, but paused to say, "But Gwendal, I want you to know something. I couldn't part with my son for anyone less worthy than you. There was always something a little odd about the blonde one that he was engaged to that I didn't really care for. With you, I have no such reservations."

Gunter smiled as Jennifer walked into the house. He tugged on Gwendal's hand and they jumped back into the pool, emerging in the fountain at Shino's temple. Ulrike greeted them with a somber look. An entire day had passed with no signs of their king.

"They haven't found him yet. He's still in Shin Makoku, but I still can't figure out where. I didn't know that Yuri-Heika had gotten powerful enough to block me. It's a terrifying feeling!"

Gwendal locked his jaw and frowned. Where could he be? They rode in silence back to the castle, each man checking and rechecking what they knew about their king in their memories. Nothing came to mind, and upon arriving at the castle, Gwendal locked himself in his office until the meeting the next day. He had a splitting headache and did not want to brainstorm or plan or chat with anyone about Yuri. He sat down heavily in the chair at his desk, feeling old beyond his years. Reaching down into the bottom drawer of his desk, Gwendal pulled out a picture. In it, Yuri had an arm around he and Conrad, with Gunter draping his arms over Yuri from behind. It had been taken just after Yuri's favorite baseball team had won the World Series. The king couldn't have looked happier. Gwendal fell asleep on the picture, dreaming of black-haired children with startling blue eyes.

_Whew! Chapter 4 is finished. I hope it was to everyone's liking. I'm feeling like there will be at least 3 more chapters after this. That would tie the story up with a nice bow! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, and if you haven't reviewed, please feel free to. If you've read my stuff before, you know that I like people's opinions, if you like it, then _yay_ and if something isn't going right, I will try to fix it! See you all in chapter 5._


	5. Chapter 5

_Same disclaimer as before!_

Soft knocking could be heard at the door of his office. Gwendal, having slept in his chair all night, was not feeling the greatest and growled for the annoying individual to go away. The knocking grew more insistent. Gwendal stomped over to the door and flung it open. The angry words he had for whoever could be so annoying died on his lips. Greta stood there with a concerned look, the evidence of tears throwing red flags up to Gwendal.

"Princess, what is wrong?"

"Papa Yuri has not come home. I'm really worried about him. We were supposed to read my fairy tales book last night before bed, but he never came to do it."

Gwendal pulled her into the office and into a hug. "Princess, your Papa Yuri would never forget about you unless something serious has come up. Don't worry about it. He has just gone on a short trip to clear his head. He was really sick a while back and sometimes needs to get away."

"But, why would he leave me. I could have gone with him to help him out. He told me he would never leave me ever again! First Papa Wolfram leaves and now Papa Yuri! I don't think I can take any more of this."

Greta started sobbing into Gwendal's shoulder, and the older man felt like such a jerk. It was his fault that Yuri was missing and thus his fault that Yuri didn't read to Greta the night before. He felt like joining her in a good cry, but held his tears in check. Conrad and Yozak quietly entered the room, sitting down in the two chairs at his desk. Gunter followed shortly, Cheri-sama on his heels. She took one look at the little girl and pulled her into her arms.

"Come on, Princess Greta. Let's go see if the cook has any hot chocolate made up. He might even have marshmallows to put in it!"

Greta nodded with a watery smile. Gwendal smoothed a hand over Greta's hair and smiled gently at her, feeling like more of an ass then ever. His mother gave him a sympathetic look before turning back to the young princess. The two ladies made their way out of the office, hand in hand, with Gwendal's mother chattering about the cute dresses they were going to try on in just an hour. He sat down heavily in the remaining chair. Gunter was the first to speak.

"Well, Gwendal and I checked earth. He isn't there, but Jennifer said she would let us know if he does end up showing up. Anissina used her… evil contraption… to find Yuri. She said from what she could see, he wasn't within the machines radius. What did you two find out, Conrad and Yozak?"

Conrad cleared his throat. "Well, he isn't in any of the nearby villages. I checked with Ulrike this morning, but all she could tell me was that she thinks maybe he is still in Shin Makoku. He has almost disappeared completely from her vision."

"Yeah, I talked to her too, this morning about the kiddo. He is doing a better job of hiding that I could ever hope to! I'm going to have to ask him how he does it and see if he can teach me. A-hem, anyway. I've checked the places we would normally stop at on our rides, but there is absolutely no sign of him. I don't get it. How could he vanish like that?"

Gwendal rubbed his face, agitation showing through his usually calm façade. Conrad knew that if they didn't find Yuri soon, they would have one angry, inconsolable mazoku on their hands. Silence settled on the room like a blanket. Soldiers could be heard at the practice fields just below the windows. Gwendal suddenly sat up straight, new life seemingly shocked into him.

"I-I may know where Heika has gone. There is a place that he and I would go to when he was feeling like getting out of the castle. Let me check there. It should take me a couple of days to get there and bring him back."

"Where is this place, Gwendal? I'll go with you." Conrad was happy to see his brother look so determined and optimistic.

"Me too, Sir. If we ride fast, we could make it there and back in no time."

Gwendal waved them both off. "No, this is something that I have to do by myself. Besides, this is a special place that Yuri may be hiding in, so I know he doesn't want anybody to know about it." All three men in the room stared at Gwendal, shocked. "I need you guys here, looking after things. You wouldn't want to leave Anissina in charge, would you?"

Everyone shuddered at that thought and remembered the one and only time she'd been left in charge. They were still fighting off hordes of feminists and swarms of angry kohi. No, it would be better if at least one of them staying in charge. Conrad would try once more to get his brother to let him go as well, but didn't tell the other two.

Gwendal suddenly stood from the desk strode purposefully from the room. The remaining men looked at each other with surprise and hope. Conrad followed close on his brother's heels.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

The stable hands were terrified of Gwendal. When he stormed into the stable and demanded his horse be brought out and saddled, they scurried to do his bidding, fearing his wrath. Conrad walked into the stable, and saw Gwendal standing there like a stone statue, arms folded across his chest. The stable hands looked over at the Captain, hoping he could calm his brother before that man went into a rage and hurt someone.

"Gwendal, why don't I go with you? You could use some back up. I could make sure that we aren't followed and help you dispatch any enemies that might find us."

"You don't understand, Conrad. This is truly something I have to do myself. He has to know that I would come for him no matter the danger or time it takes to get to him. No, little brother, you stay here and be ready to welcome us when we get back."

Gwendal threw a leg over his horse and galloped away without another word, leaving the stable hands to whisper worriedly in his wake. After several hours of hard riding, Gwendal came to a spot where the creek dropped off in a waterfall and ran into the forest. Behind the waterfall was a small cave where Yuri would hide out periodically. Gwendal rode down the slope and saw Ao tied to a tree outside the waterfall. He tied his own mount on the same tree and made his way into the cave. There, curled into a corner, was Yuri. His shoulders were shaking with silent sobs. He startled when he felt Gwendal's hands on his back.

"Heika, everyone's worried about you. Come on back to the castle and-"

"Gwendal, I'm so sorry. I really am a terrible king. I tried not to, but I've fallen for you. I didn't meant to. It just sorta snuck up on me. And could you remember to call me Yuri, for Shino's sake!" The last sentence was said with a sob.

Gwendal said nothing. He reached out to pull Yuri into his arms, thinking that if he could touch the young man, everything would be fine. Yuri shrank away from him in what appeared to be fear. Gwendal's hand dropped to his side. "I'm going to go grab out bedrolls and some food from the horses. I'll be right back, Hei-Yuri."

The sadness in Gwendal's voice pulled at Yuri's heart, but no matter what, he didn't want to open himself up to be hurt ever again. Gwendal returned a short while later and set up camp in silence. Yuri eventually moved to sit by the small fire at the entrance of the cave. He refused to make eye contact with the man he loved so very much, so he busied himself with making dinner. Gwendal felt helpless as tears dripped down Yuri's chin. Finally, he couldn't take the silence any longer.

"Yuri, please look at me." When Yuri refused, Gwendal sat up against the wall and pulled Yuri onto his lap. Yuri knew he should have resisted, giving in now would make it harder to pull away later. It just felt so good to be held by the man he was in love with. Especially when Gwendal started rubbing his hand up and down Yuri's back in slow, even strokes. Yuri didn't know how long they sat there, but he didn't care. Finally, Gwendal swallowed the lump in his throat and broke the silence.

Gwendal's calming presence put the young man in his arms to sleep. The general frowned momentarily at this, then thought about it. They really needed to talk, but that could wait until Yuri had rested for a while. Gwendal laid his cheek on top of Yuri's head and quickly joined his love in sleep.

The following morning, the sun's rays glinted through the waterfall and sent sparkling prisms all over the back of the small cave. Gwendal woke first and smiled that Yuri hadn't moved out of his arms. Yuri woke shortly after, yawning happily before realization sank in. He tried to push out of Gwendal's arms, but the older man held on tight, kissing the top of Yuri's head and shocking him into not moving. Gwendal waited for the span of several heartbeats, then began a conversation that could change both of their lives.

"Yuri, there are so many reasons for why you shouldn't love me. I'm a great deal older than you. You're the king and I'm just an advisor. You're afraid of me…"

Yuri shifted in Gwendal's arms, lips a mere breath away from kissing the older man. "I'm not afraid of you. I haven't been in a long time." Yuri couldn't resist kissing Gwendal. He wanted to pretend, if only for the moment, that Gwendal actually loved him too. Yuri pulled back and looked Gwendal in the eye. He took a deep breath and summoned all his courage, knowing that if it didn't turn out the way he hoped, he would be devastated. "Do you love me, Gwendal? I don't mean as a king, I mean as a man. Do. You. Love. Me?"

"Oh Yuri, I love you more than I can put into words." Yuri gave him a startled and confused look." But can certainly try. You deserve to hear the truth from me." He pulled on Yuri until the younger man was straddling his hips. "You are the bright spot in my day." Hands raised to brush Yuri's cheeks, fingers tangled in his hair. "I am lonely when you are not around." A kiss planted on surprised lips. "I can barely form a complete sentence when you turn your beautiful smile on me." Another kiss, this one deeper and more passionate than the last.

"So it wasn't a dream?" Tears pooled in Yuri's eyes, spilling down his cheeks. Gwendal kissed the trails they made and shook his head. "Why? Why did you tell me that it was? We could have avoided a lot of pain and you wouldn't have had to take time out of your busy day to come find me."

"I am a stubborn, foolish demon, Heika. _Yuri._ I thought I knew what was best for you when what you truly wanted was my love. I will never lie to you again, my love. There will only be truth between us. Not to mention, I will _never_ be too busy to rescue you. I will always find you, no matter what has happened." Gwendal made sure Yuri was looking into his eyes when he said the last sentence. Yuri nodded, too choked up by the declaration to speak. Gwendal's face broke into a contented smile and leaned down to kiss _his_ Yuri once again.

Yuri reached up and untied Gwendal's hair, running fingers through the long strands. "I've waited so long for you to say that. I had hoped that it hadn't been a dream, but after yesterday, I don't know. I just know that I had to get away. I'm glad it was you that found me." Yuri gave Gwendal a lopsided grin that sent the older man's heart pounding.

Gwendal traced his tongue across Yuri's lips, and those lips parted almost out of shock to grant him access. Yuri slid his hands under Gwendal's shirt and across his abdomen. Gwendal growled, holding Yuri tighter. The younger man started grinding his hips against his soon to be lover. Gwendal moaned at the heat building between them. Before flipping them over and taking Yuri right then, a thought struck Gwendal and he nearly howled in frustration.

"Yuri." The desire in his voice sent shivers up and down Yuri's spine. "We…need…to get back…to the castle. Everyone's worried about you. Ahhh!"

Yuri had latched his teeth and lips onto the sensitive part of Gwendal's neck He pulled back to give Gwendal a goofy, but heated smile. "Very well, but I need a bath before we go. And, we are not finished. Once everyone knows I'm safe, we are going to spend a lot of time in my room." Suddenly shy and uncertain, he added, "that is, only if you really want to."

Gwendal stood and helped Yuri to his feet before giving his answer. He pushed the younger man up against the wall of the cave, kissing him with every bit of longing and desire that he had ever felt for his king. Yuri leaned heavily on the wall, dazed from the strength of emotions Gwendal poured into the kiss. He slid his hands once again up his general's shirt before giving Gwendal a cheeky grin and slipping around his love.

They strolled hand in hand out of the cave and over to a pool of water created by some fallen rocks. Yuri started to unbutton his shirt, but paused shyly. Gwendal turned around to give the younger man his privacy with a smile on his face. After hearing the splash of water, Gwendal knew Yuri was safely covered by the water and could turn back around.

"You know, at some point you'll have to get over the embarrassment of me seeing you naked. Besides, we've bathed together numerous times. Why is this time different?"

Yuri shrugged and ducked under the water to cover his flaming face. While he was hidden, Gwendal got a sneaky idea. He moved quietly over to Yuri's clothes and snatched them all up, stashing them in the saddlebags of his own horse. Now Yuri would have to leave the water naked to fetch his clothes, and Gwendal would be there to see him. His world-renowned tactical skills were being put to good use.

The king emerged from the water and moved toward the shoreline. He was just about to expose himself when he noticed something missing.

"Gwendal, where are my clothes?" he said with a nervous chuckle.

"What do you mean? Maybe some crazed lunatic stole them when we weren't looking." Gwendal gave Yuri the most adorable look of innocence he could muster.

"Lunatic, hmm? Well, I can't leave the water without a towel or else you'll see me naked. After coming out of a cold creek, that's not something I'm really looking forward to…"

Gwendal chuckled ominously. "I don't think that will be a problem, Yuri." He started to add something else, but changed his mind. "Your clothes are in my horse's saddlebags if you absolutely must get dressed."

Yuri looked over at the animal and then back at Gwendal. The general leaned against a tree by the water, giving himself the best view of Yuri. He'd be able to watch the embarrassed king walk from the creek over to the horses. Yuri made a desperate whine before jumping from the river and sprinting over to the saddlebags. Gwendal stealthily moved up behind Yuri while he dug for his clothes, slipping both arms around his shoulders and pressing himself up against his still moist back. Yuri tensed for a brief moment, and then relaxed against Gwendal's chest as he started kissing his neck.

"Gwen, we have to get back to the castle. You said so yourself." Gwendal didn't actually like the nickname, but when Yuri said it, it sent shivers of pleasure through his body.

"We really have to, Yuri, but I don't want to."

"Me either," Yuri whispered breathlessly. "If we hurry, though, we can get back to the castle by tonight. I have plans to not leave my room for a long, long time."

Gwendal gave Yuri's neck one last kiss, then backed up so the younger man could put on his clothes. Yuri didn't mind this time, though, that Gwendal's eyes never left his body as he pulled on each garment. It gave him a fluttering feeling in his stomach to know that pretty soon, Gwendal would be removing these clothes. Gwendal gave a yelp when Yuri smacked his backside before going to his own horse, startling both animals as the men jumped on. They rode as quickly as they could, without punishing the horses. Neither demon wanted to waste any time in getting back to the castle and the large, warm bed that awaited them in the king's chambers.

_Well, another chapter down, a couple more to go. It's been a lot of fun writing these two. They make it so easy! I thought about torturing Gwendal for another chapter, but I just couldn't. He really is stubborn, but I can't help loving him. Please review and let me know what you think! _


	6. Chapter 6

So, it's been longer than I expected before posting another chapter. I'm hoping that the last couple are done a lot faster. Just to send out a warning, this chapter is the one with some Gwen/Yu lovin. And as always, I don't own KKM or its characters, just what I do to them.

Both men noticed a change in the air when they arrived back at the castle. They had spent the last hour of riding talking about everything under the sun. The declarations of love had made conversation easy between the pair. The happiness was dimmed by the lack of guards posted at the gate, which made Gwendal suddenly alert and on the lookout for any danger to his king.

"Yuri, stay close to me."

Yuri nodded and edged Ao closer to Gwendal. Something was up, and he wanted to be sure that they could protect each other if anything happened. They rode on in silence, stress etching lines around Gwendal's mouth and eyes. Yuri noticed that his general held the reins a bit tighter in his fist.

"Gwendal, what do you think has happened?" he whispered. He brushed his leg against Gwendal's, the contact bringing only a little comfort.

"I'm not sure, but it seems too quiet. There should be soldiers practicing and animals running around. Let's head on inside and see if we can find anybody."

They dropped the horses off at the stables. Morgif was hanging on a wall beside Ao's stall, so Yuri grabbed him just in case he was needed. The sword moaned ominously, seeming nervous about something. Yuri patted Morgif soothingly to quiet him. He joined Gwendal outside and the pair made their way inside the castle. Gwendal didn't draw his sword, but his hand rested gently against it. As they neared the king's office, voices could be heard. Gwendal drew his sword and flung the door open. Two of the room's occupant's screamed in fright while the rest of them gasped.

"Gwendal, it's nice to see you back. Did you find Heika?" Gunter's normally pretty face was dark with worry.

"I'm here, Gunter." Yuri stepped out from behind Gwendal and the adjutant squealed and flung himself at the king.

"Oh Heika. Heika! We were so worried about you. I would never have forgiven Gwendal if he couldn't find you. It is such a relief to have you back."

"Gunter, what is going on?" Gwendal asked.

"Oh, you mean about having no guards at the gate? Well there were rumors that Wol- your youngest brother has been sighted in the area. I sent several small groups of soldiers to go check it out. I figured with Anissina, Lady Celi, Conrad, and myself here, along with another small group, we could defend the castle with no problem. I really wanted to make sure that these rumors were false."

Everyone in the room noticed how Yuri tensed at the mention of the former Maou's youngest son. Only three people knew what had happened to make Wolfram up and disappear two years ago, but no one talked about it. Conrad, Gunter, and Gwendal exchanged knowing glances. Gwendal pulled Yuri to him, with the younger man's back against his chest. Yuri sagged against him in relief. The other occupants of the room couldn't keep the grins off their faces. Yozak was the first to speak.

"So, it looks like you two are a couple now. Am I right?"

Yuri blushed and nodded. Gwendal looked down at Yuri with a smile on his face, squeezing him in his arms a little tighter. Everyone stood in shock at the unusually happy look on Gwendal's face. Conrad walked over to the couple and held his arms out for Yuri. The younger man eased himself out of Gwendal's arms and into the arms of his godfather. Conrad gave him a tight squeeze, then held him back by his shoulders.

"I would never have forgiven Gwendal for letting you go, I hope you know. You both would have been miserable if something hadn't happened."

"I had plans to give up being king and head back to my world."

Gunter gasped in horror. "Heika! I too would never have forgiven Gwendal if he had let that happen. We may have been friends for more years than I care to admit sometimes, but giving up on a true love would never be allowed by me."

Yuri smiled at him and had to cover a wide yawn. "Man, I'm really tired. I think I might take a bath and head to bed, unless anyone needs anything from me?"

Everyone assured him that he could go. Geika and Yozak followed him out with plans to bathe with him. Yuri knew that it was more from concern for his well being than an actual need for a bath, but he didn't complain. Anissina left shortly after that with the threat of making a new device to ward off attackers. Lady Celi excused herself to go find Greta and let the little girl know that her father had returned. Gwendal stayed to chat with Conrad and Gunter.

"So what's going on? I know you've held something back. Don't tell me you haven't, Gunter, because I know that look you get."

"Your youngest brother sent a note to his majesty asking an audience. Thankfully, Heika had run off, so we were able to decline. Wolfram seemed most displeased by this and even more so when we told him that you left with Heika. We didn't think it appropriate to let him know that Yuri had run off on his own. Who knows what the boy would have done if he had found him before you did." Gunter shuddered and fought back tears.

"This means we're going to have to be extra careful from now on. Wolfram could come after Yuri at any moment." Conrad paused and absentmindedly placed a hand on his sword. "I can only protect Yuri from so much. Wolfram, I hate to admit it, is definitely stronger than me because of his maryoku. You two are going to have to help keep watch over him, though Gwendal, I think you'll probably be with him the most."

A light blush tinged Gwendal's cheeks and he nodded. "I should, ah, go find out how he's doing and if he needs anything."

Gwendal excused himself at that point and left Conrad and Gunter to chat amongst themselves. He knew what Gunter would be saying about this relationship. Conrad would be a little more discreet, especially since Yuri was his godson. He made his way down the hallway to the baths and was greeted by Yozak with Yuri very much asleep in his arms. The king was still rather wet from his bath and appeared to be dressed only in a towel.

"General, as soon as he hit the warm bath water his eyes started to droop. Heika has had a crazy couple of days."

"It's Yuri, you crazy spy," Yuri mumbled against the redhead's chest.

"All right, kiddo," Yozak said with a chuckle.

He handed Yuri off to Gwendal, who didn't mind at all that his uniform shirt was going to be soaked through by the time they reached Yuri's chambers. Gwendal motioned with a look for Yozak to check out Yuri's chambers before allowing the king inside. Yozak discreetly excused himself and shut the door as he left.

Yuri, aware of Gwendal's presence and his own state of undress, stared at the floor completely embarrassed. Gwendal walked over and sat on the bed, saying nothing. After several seconds, Yuri cleared his throat.

"So, uh, I should get dressed for bed. Do…you… want to stay here with me tonight? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. It's a whole new thing for us to be together and I know everyone will gossip and I don't want to cause you any trouble-"

Gwendal moved to where he was standing in front of Yuri. The younger man still wouldn't raise his eyes from the floor. Gwendal grabbed Yuri's chin and tilted it up so their eyes could meet.

"Yuri, I would be honored to stay in your room. I will go grab some pajamas and be right back."

He gave Yuri a quick kiss on the lips before heading out of the room. Yuri paused for only a moment, then rushed to throw clothes on. Soon Gwendal had returned, bringing with him a tray of hot chocolate and tiny muffins.

"I thought you might like a bite to eat before going to bed."

Yuri nodded with a smile. "That sounds great. I love hot chocolate!"

The pair made their way over to the window seat and munched on the goodies in silence. Yuri didn't know what to say to Gwendal, and Gwendal didn't want to make Yuri nervous by saying something weird or stupid. They watched as soldiers practice night training in the courtyard below. The way they moved showed that they had been trained by Gwendal himself. They moved with such a ferocious power that Yuri had to ask about it.

"Gwendal, who are those soldiers? Are they some sort of special group?"

"Well Heika-excuse me, Yuri- they are your elite guard. I've been training them personally for the past year. I thought that maybe Wolfram might return, and so I wanted to make sure you would be well protected."

"Oh. Well, that's good, I suppose." Yuri watched the soldiers for another minute before looking over at Gwendal. "Do you think he really wants to hurt me still?"

Gwendal seemed to age quickly. "My brother has always been a spoiled brat, getting everything he wants. I won't put it past him to try to get you, now that you are mine." Realizing what he said, Gwendal blushed and tried to correct himself. "I-what I mean to say is now that we are together. You know, uh, in a relationship."

Yuri grinned and set his cup of hot chocolate back on the tray. Gwendal gave him a questioning look, then watched as Yuri scooted across the window seat to cuddle up against his chest.

"You know, Gwen, that even with that group of guards you've trained, I'll really only feel safe with you around."

"Conrad would feel hurt to hear you say that."  
"Well, you know what I mean. Conrad is always there, I don't have to worry about him not protecting me because he is always close by. Yozak too. I just like knowing that you are going to protect me not just because you have to protect the king."

Gwendal set his cup down as well and pulled Yuri into his arms. He rested a cheek on top of Yuri's head, just enjoying the peace and quiet. After a few minutes, he tilted Yuri's head back and kissed him square on the lips. He wanted to make sure that Yuri knew exactly how he felt, so he poured all of his love and caring into that one kiss. Gwendal was just about to slide his hand up Yuri's shirt when they heard a knock on the door. The look of frustration on Gwendal's face earned him a kiss before Yuri walked over to the door.

"Heika, we can't seem to find Gwendal and we need to let him know what the soldiers found out about Wolfram. I thought maybe he'd be in here with you."  
Yuri gave Conrad an exasperated look. Conrad knew exactly where Gwendal was and Yuri knew that Conrad knew. His godfather gave him a cheeky grin before slipping inside the room.

"Big Brother, I hope you're still dressed. We need you to come down to your office to hear the soldier's reports. Oh good, I don't have to avert my eyes in shame."

Conrad's comment earned a pillow chucked straight at his head, which he dodged. Gwendal gave an angry growl and shoved himself off of the couch, moving to follow his brother out the door. Yuri made to follow, but was stopped by Gwendal.

"Yuri, you need to stay here and sleep. Yozak will be right outside the door. Oh and here's Greta. She'll sleep in here with you."

Yuri couldn't resist the sweet smile of his daughter and pulled her into a hug. With a last, longing look at Gwendal, he shut the door behind the two brothers and settled himself and Greta in bed for the night. After a couple of hours of restless sleep, Yuri woke up screaming. In his nightmare, Wolfram had returned and was standing over him with a knife. As he looked around the room, relief washed over him. It was all just a dream, one that he hadn't had in more than a year. What surprised him was the fact that he hadn't woke Greta. He looked next to him in the bed only to find his daughter was missing.

"Greta!" Yuri leaped out of the bed. "Greta, honey, where are you?"

A knock sounded on the door. Yuri raced over and flung the door open. Gwendal stood there in his pajamas and robe, another serving cart next to him covered with trays of more hot chocolate and Yuri's favorite cookies.

"Gwendal! Where's Greta?"  
"She's with Conrad right now. The princess seemed worried about you and came to get me. She thought some hot chocolate and cookies might make you feel better."

"That would be fine. I'll have to thank her." Yuri would never in a million years tell Greta that he didn't need the snack because he had eaten the same thing earlier.

Yuri opened the door wider and stepped aside. Gwendal pulled the cart inside. The two men moved over to the window seat. Yuri blushed when he remember the kiss they shared just a few hours earlier.

"Care to talk about it?"

"Huh?"

"The nightmare. Greta said you were screaming about being attacked."

"Oh, that. Well, remember the nightmare I used to get about Wolfram with a knife?" He paused for Gwendal to nod. "Well that's all it was."

"You haven't had that dream in a long time. Are you just stressed about Wolfram being around?"

"Yeah, but it'll be okay."

Gwendal seemed to sense that Yuri needed some comforting and pulled the younger man into his lap for a kiss. When they managed to come up for air, Yuri stood and shut the drapes. The whole outside world didn't need to know what was going on with their king. He quickly sat back down to continue where they left off.

Yuri reached up and took off Gwendal's hair tie, letting the older man's hair cascade around them. It always smelled of lilacs, which happened to be Yuri's favorite flower. He'd have to ask Gwendal sometime if that was a mere coincidence. He ran his fingers through Gwendal's hair. Gwendal moaned and pulled Yuri over to where he was straddling his lap. Yuri absentmindedly hoped that the window wouldn't fall open with their combined weight pressed against it.

The shirts came off first, tossed without thought to one side. Gwendal ran his fingers up and down Yuri's back while Yuri traced the muscles on Gwendal's chest before moving to trace his scars. At that point he pulled back. Gwendal looked almost annoyed.

"Gwen, a lot of these scars are here because of me. I've never truly thanked you for all that you've done."

"Everything I've done has been because I love you and would give my life for you."

"I know you would. I just want you to know that I appreciate it and would do the same for you."

Gwendal nodded, emotion clogging his throat. Yuri smiled before leaning back down to continue kissing Gwendal. The pair's hands began to roam again. Yuri managed to slip his hands down to untie Gwendal's pajama pants when they heard a knock on the door. Yuri jumped up and grabbed their shirts. Gwendal let his head fall back with a growl that Yuri found positively cute.

"Who is it?"

"It's Conrad with a concerned Greta. May we come in?"

Yuri made sure Gwendal had his shirt on before opening the door.

"What's going on?"

Conrad noticed the frustration on his brother's face and the flush on Yuri's. Not to mention, the buttons on Gwendal's shirt were not done right. He had to bite back a smile when he saw Gwendal's untamed hair.

"Greta was concerned about you and wanted to make sure Gwendal had arrived with the snacks. I can see the _snack_ seems to have made you feel better?"

Yuri's eyes jumped to Gwendal's and back to his godfather. The way Conrad stressed the word made Yuri realize that Conrad knew he'd interrupted something. Gwendal walked up and draped an arm protectively around Yuri's shoulders. Yuri stuttered out his reply.

"We're, uh, I-I'm good. Much, much better. Thank you, Greta."

"Uncle Gwendal, are you mad that I wanted you to bring snacks to Papa Yuri?"

"What? No, Princess Greta, why do you ask?"

"Well, you look kinda angry. Are you mad at Papa Yuri?"

"No, sweetie. Uncle Gwendal is just tired. Why don't we leave so he and your papa can finish their chat and go to bed?"

"Okay! Sweet dreams, Papa Yuri. Sweet dreams, Uncle Gwen!"

Greta bounced out of the room and down the hallway to her bedroom. Conrad leaned forward to speak quietly to the pair.

"I will suggest that you start locking the door of whoseever room you're in. You wouldn't want Greta to walk in on you."

Conrad turned wit ha smirk while the pair stood in shocked silence. They could hear him chuckling as he walked away. Yuri shut the door, making sure to lock it, and leaned against it, looking at Gwendal.

"Well."

"Well, what?" Gwendal gave Yuri a smile that sent shivers down his spine.

"Well, ah, do you want to go to bed?" Yuri backed nervously toward the bed. "You, you're welcome to sleep in here tonight."

Gwendal moved toward Yuri as a lion stalking his prey. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep."

"Oh," Yuri smiled slyly. "Then we can chat."

"I don't really want to chat either."

"I see. So what's on your mind?"

An almost growl rumbled deep in Gwendal's chest as he tackled Yuri onto the bed. Both men's shirts were removed in a rush and thrown haphazardly. Yuri let out a gasp as Gwendal trailed kisses down his neck and chest.

"So, no chatting then?" Yuri joked breathlessly.

Gwendal stroked a finger slowly around one of Yuri's nipples. "I suppose if you'd rather chat…"

This time, Gwendal was flipped onto his back and kissed. Yuri traced Gwendal's chest with his fingers, kissing each spot he found with a scar. He made his way over to one of Gwendal's nipples and almost hesitated. He ran his tongue softly over the sensitive skin. Gwendal moaned and grabbed Yuri's hair. Yuri kept licking, adding a nibble every so often as he slid his hands down to untie Gwendal's pajama pants. The pants hit the floor and Yuri simply stared, half with embarrassment and half with desire. Gwendal didn't wear underwear beneath his pajamas and his… was very hard. Yuri couldn't even bring himself to think of the word.

"Yuri. _Yuri._" The younger man looked up. "We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with."

"I- I'm so sorry, Gwendal. I just don't know."

"No worries. I will never force you." But that doesn't mean I can't entice you, Gwendal added mentally.

Gwendal sat up, pushed Yuri back on the bed, and continued kissing him. He found a spot on Yuri's collarbone that made the younger man writhe beneath him. After making him moan with pleasure, Gwendal slid his hands slowly down to the waistband of Yuri's pants, giving him plenty of time to stop what Gwendal wanted to do. When Yuri lifted his hips for Gwendal to remove his pants, he did just that, taking the underwear with them. Gwendal eased himself on top of Yuri. Yuri wrapped his legs around Gwendal and grabbed his face, kissing him with all the desire he felt. Gwendal leaned back with a question in his eyes. Yuri smiled and that was all the encouragement Gwendal needed. The older man began preparing his lover's entrance as gently as possible. After several minutes, he leaned forward, kissing Yuri as he slid into him.

Yuri tightened with pain for just a second, and then shifted his hips when he felt ready. Gwendal groaned deliciously as he met Yuri thrust for thrust. Hands ghosted over bodies, lips battled for dominance. The older mazoku had had lovers in the past, but none that ever made him want to scream in pleasure the way Yuri did. This being Yuri's first time, the king didn't know that a person could feel so many things at once without exploding into tiny fragments.

"Gwendal, ahhh…"

Gwendal slowed just long enough to notice Yuri's throbbing member standing between their bodies. He slid one hand down and began stroking in time with their thrusts. The extra contact sent both men hurtling toward their climax, and for a split second Gwendal completely lost control of himself, calling out Yuri's name before collapsing on him.

"Gwen," Yuri said softly as he ran his fingers through Gwendal's hair.

"Mmmm?"

"Gwen, you're crushing me."

Gwendal chuckled quietly as he rolled off Yuri, who then snuggled against his chest. Both men fell into a relaxed, but exhausted sleep. Neither one wanted to move to get dressed.


	7. Chapter 7

So I had been hoping to post this way faster than I did, but my computer died, and I was not happy after losing the files. Anyway, here is another chapter. Hope you like it!

Over the next few days, Gwendal and Yuri were very happy together. Nights were spent together in each other's arms. Everyone knew what they were up to and waited with baited breath for the day that one proposed to the other. Not, of course, that there was any rush, but the entire castle was happy that their precious king had found true love.

The afternoon that things came to a head with Wolfram, Yuri was out wandering the gardens with Yozak. They had been chatting quietly about setting up another camping trip when rustling was heard in the nearby bushes. Yozak, not one for people to sneak up on easily, was startled and grabbed his sword. Wolfram popped out and strutted over to the pair, a sly grin plastered on his face.

"Hello, Cheater. I see that you are such a cheater that you've even gone beyond my brother for this… red-haired spy. Ugh!"

"W-Wolfram. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take you back to earth. Your family needs to realize just how much of a cheater you are and what you've done to me. I've been banished for two years now, and it's been hell. You don't know just how- Oh wait, here's the sorry sack of crap now."

Yuri looked behind him and saw Gwendal marching toward the group, worry etched across his face. He had his hand resting gently on his sword.

"Wolfram, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be at your own castle. We told you not to come back here."

Yozak looked from one brother to the other, confused. He knew something had happened to make the bratling run off two years ago, but he never knew what exactly. The three people that did know kept the secret closely guarded. Being the great spy that he was, though, he would never ask about it. Patience usually paid off in the end.

"We're going to head to earth, Brother, and let Yuri's family know about the situation. Do they know that he dumped me for you? Do they know about your nighttime activities? How are they going to feel about Yuri dumping my beautiful self for… you? You're mean, and selfish. What gives you the right, what makes you think he could ever some someone as terrible as you."

Gwendal deflated slightly. "I can agree with you on that. I don't deserve for him to care for me, but he does and I will cherish our time together forever. Now, calm down and we can talk about what's been going on."

Conrad and Gunter had received word that Wolfram was in the gardens with Yuri and came over to make sure Yuri was well protected. They joined Gwendal behind Yuri and Yozak, both of them placing their hands on their swords.

"Oh and the two of you. Heh. The "never gonna get any" soldier and the little lost puppy dog, always following this cheater around. Let's all make the trip to Yuri's world to talk to his family. I know that all of you will be joining us because, let's face it, you don't trust Yuri to behave himself around me."

When everyone hesitated, Wolfram called fire to his hands. In order to avoid confrontation, everyone followed Wolfram to the nearby pond. As they arrived on earth, they were greeted by Jennifer's happy smile and bear hugs. She saw Wolfram and hesitated because Yuri had told her a while back that they had broken off their engagement in kind of a bad way. Everyone was herded into the living room and drinks were passed around. Shori and Shoma had heard the commotion and joined the group.

"So, what brings you all here?" Jennifer asked with a hesitant smile.

"I just wanted to make sure that you guys knew what a lying, no-good cheater your son is. He has dumped me, ME, for my brother Gwendal. Can you believe it?"

"That's not how it happened, Wolfram, and you know it." Yuri said it quietly without even looking at Wolfram.

"Well, Yuri," Shoma said, "maybe you could explain what did happen."

Wolfram tensed up. Shori knew by the look on Conrad, Gunter, and Gwendal's faces that Wolfram had done something to Yuri and he was starting to get angry. He remembered back to that time, two years ago. Yuri and Gwendal had arrived suddenly on earth and Yuri was a bruised mess. They had explained it at the time as Yuri just being clumsy and falling down the castle stairs, but with the look right now on Wolfram's face, Shori knew something had happened and he was really getting angry. No one would hurt his baby brother and get away with it. Wolfram jumped up and pointed a finger at Yuri.

"Everything that happened was because of him being a cheater!"

"Wolfram, you know I've never cheated on you. I'm in a relationship now with your brother instead of you because we are no longer together. You ruined your chances with my by your actions."

Shori couldn't take it any longer. He had an idea. The little blond bitch probably raped Yuri. That was where the bruises came from two years ago. That was why Yuri had trouble sitting down or laying down while he was here recovering. He jumped up from the couch and stalked over to Wolfram, pointing a finger in the younger man's face.

"What the FUCK did you do to my baby brother?" Shori roared out the question.

Wolfram backed away, afraid of the suddenly glowing earth Maou. Conrad put a hand on Shori's arm. The younger man shook off the hand and pulled his own hand back before once again pointing his finger at Wolfram. This time, the digit was glowing even more brightly than the rest of his body. Yozak and Gwendal stood, pulling Yuri behind them.

"How could you? He was innocent. He was precious- no, strike that, still is precious. You saw him falling for Gwendal and just had to do something to break him. Well, you'll pay for that!"

A bolt of yellow light struck Wolfram square in the chest. He slammed into the wall behind. Shori flung another bolt. This one stuck and pinned Wolfram to the wall. Wolfram gasped with pain. He held his hand over the other open wound trying to staunch the blood flow.

"I don't know what you are talking about. You make it sound like I raped him. I never did!"

"LIAR!" Shori reached out to fire at Wolfram again when Conrad tackled him to the ground, trying his best to calm Shori so he wouldn't burn down the house.

"Shori, he's not lying. He never did rape Yuri, but if Gwendal hadn't stopped him, he probably would have."

FLASHBACK

Gwendal sat in his office chatting with Gunter about Yuri's upcoming trip to Caloria. They were only about halfway through the planning when Gwendal felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He glanced around the room, but noticed nothing amiss. The general opened his mouth to speak again when he got the sinking stomach feeling he always got when Yuri was in trouble.

"Gunter, where is Heika right now?"

"Why?" Gunter paused. "Are you also feeling that he is in trouble?"

Gwendal stood and moved quickly toward the door of his office. "Gunter, you check outside, I'll check here in the castle." Both men hit the hallway at a dead run.

Gwendal started by checking the Heika's chambers and had to look no farther. Yuri was bloodied, naked, and tied to the bed sobbing. Wolfram stood over him, also naked, grinning like he had just won the lottery. It took several seconds for the scene to register on Gwendal brain because he simply couldn't believe what he was seeing. When it finally clicked in, he bolted over to the bed, startling both young men. Yuri whimpered in embarrassment and relief. Wolfram howled in rage, then sneered.

"Well, Brother, you're a bit late. Yuri here has already been taken. He's spoiled goods. But if you want a chance at him, I'll leave him tied up for now."

Gwendal's hands were shaking with barely check wrath at his youngest brother. "If you do not leave Shin Makoku immediately, I will not hesitate to bring severe harm to you, brother or not."

Wolfram paled at the look in Gwendal's eyes. He leaped off the bed, dressed quickly, and ran out of the room. Gwendal turned sorrowful eyes to Yuri and began untying his Heika. When he had finished, he pulled the younger man to his chest.

"Yuri, I'll help you clean up, but then you will gather your things and-"

"I understand, Gwendal," Yuri practically whispered. "I've shamed the Maou title and must resign the position and head back home."

Gwendal's arms tightened around Yuri. "No, you don't understand. You and I will be taking a trip. We will be gone for several days. No one will know where we've headed. You need to escape here for a time and if I don't get out of here quickly, I'll track down my youngest brother and kill him!"

Yuri cringed at the anger in Gwendal's voice, but nodded against his chest. He was too afraid to head down to the baths, so Gwendal helped him clean up with towels in his room. When they had finished packing, Yuri held onto his general's hand like a lifeline as they walked down to the stables. Gunter met them halfway in a panic.

"Oh good, he's alright. Thank Shino! Gwendal. What-what is it?"

Yuri shrank into Gwendal's side and shook as Gwendal briefly shared what he had witnessed. Gunter's lavender eyes flashed and he wrung his hands in grief and anger.

"So now Heika and I are taking a trip. We should be back in a week or so."

"Shouldn't you let Conrad know?"

"Let me know what?"

Yuri whimpered with despair and tugged Gwendal's arm. He got the hint and told Gunter to fill Conrad in on what had happened. Conrad's thoughts followed those of his older brother. If Wolfram were around, he'd be dead. The adjutant and the soldier agreed to not tell anyone else what had happened. As to the disappearance of Wolfram, well he had been called suddenly back to his homelands and may never return.

"Why would anyone do anything but cherish Yuri-Heika?" Gunter sobbed into his hands.

Conrad pulled him into a hug. "I don't know, Gunter, but I do know that Gwendal will take good care of our Heika. Gwendal really loves him."

After nearly a day and a half of riding in silence, Gwendal stopped them by a grove of trees near a large stream. The waterfall on the nearby cliff cascaded beautifully, covering up a small cave behind it. The trees provided shade and could be easily defended if they were attacked. Gwendal set up camp while Yuri huddled next to one of the larger trees. They hadn't brought tents, but neither one minded sleeping out in the open in sleeping bags.

Two hours after going to bed, Gwendal was startled from his sleep by Yuri screaming. His well-trained senses told him there was no real danger so he moved over to Yuri, holding the younger man in his arms until the screaming dissolved into quiet moans of terror. When Yuri had finally fallen back asleep, Gwendal disentangled himself from Yuri's arms and quietly made his way back to his own bedroll.

In the morning, he woke more slowly, and then nearly drew his sword when he noticed someone standing over him. It was only Yuri and he looked like he needed to talk. Gwendal sat up, wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

"Heika, what's on your mind?"

Yuri opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it with a snap. He blushed from his hairline all the way down his neck. He stared at the ground for a second before dropping onto Gwendal's sleeping bag, clinging to the older man for dear life. Gwendal felt his Heika's shoulders shaking as he sobbed silently. The general knew that Yuri would need time to get over what had happened, and he planned to be there to keep him safe. Several minutes passed before Gwendal noticed that Yuri was no longer crying. He looked down to find the younger man asleep. Gwendal shifted to where they were both laying down and fell fast asleep as well.

The afternoon sun was beating down on them when they finally woke up again. Yuri quietly excused himself to go take a bath. Gwendal was shocked at how empty his arms felt. Holding Yuri had been so nice, even if it was only to comfort the boy. No, Gwendal told himself, Yuri was definitely not a boy, but a young man in need of a shoulder to cry on and the comfort of a friend. He swallowed back the rage he felt, but didn't school his features fast enough. Yuri paused at the edge of the camp, fear written all over his face.

"Heika, is everything okay?"

Yuri edged backward as Gwendal stood and advanced. He tripped over a log and fell sprawling on his backside. Gwendal ran over to make sure he was okay and Yuri threw his hands up to shield himself, screaming with fear.

"Gwendal, please! Please don't hurt me! I'm so sorry. I'm sorry about what happened with Wolfram. If I hadn't been such a terrible king, this never would have happened."

Gwendal dropped heavily to the ground beside Yuri. "Heika, please listen to me." Yuri still cowered, hands held over his head, but he had stopped screaming at least. "What Wolfram did is absolutely not your fault. He made the choice to do something despicable. You are not to blame. If you want to blame someone, please blame me. I-I should have noticed Wolfram's strange behavior. Only after his attack do I realize that he'd been acting odd for several weeks. I just hope you can forgive me, Yuri. Your first, ah, experience should be something you treasure, not fear."

"Oh Gwendal, no! You're not to blame at all. I spent a lot of time around him and should have noticed something was wrong. As for the," Yuri paused and swallowed audibly, blushing, "experience. You made it before _that_ happened. He only attacked me and tied me to the bed. I think he was angry that you interrupted and wanted you to think something _had_ happened so you would be disgusted with me."

Gwendal reached to pull Yuri into his arms, and the younger man didn't resist. They sat there in silence for several minutes. Relief washed over Gwendal at that point. Yuri deserved someone better than Wolfram. Someone like… Conrad. The soldier definitely cared for their Heika a great deal. Gwendal was once again shocked. This time by the feeling of sadness that he couldn't be Yuri's love interest. He began that instant pushing back his emotions to be the calm, steady presence for Yuri to feel safe with.

The pair camped out for a couple more days, visited earth for a week, and then headed back to the castle. Upon their arrival, they found the castle in an uproar. Gunter and Conrad had explained that Yuri and Gwendal had gone on a fishing trip. The general had never camped "earth-style" before and was curious about all the strange traditions. Everyone had been fine with that, but then Wolfram was noticed to be missing. Only Gwendal, Yuri, Conrad, and Gunter knew why, but to protect Yuri-Heika, they all kept the knowledge to themselves.

PRESENT

"So you see, Shori. Wolfram didn't rape me. He and I never had sex at all. In fact, my first time having sex was with Gwe-"

Yuri gasped and slapped his hand over his mouth. All of the people from earth stared in shocked silence at Gwendal as his face burned. This wasn't news to the inhabitants of Shin Makoku, but Yuri never meant to be so open about it with his family. Gwendal's mouth was set into a thin, embarrassed line as he turned and strode from the room. He was never one to put his feelings out in the open and was not happy about being the center of attention.

"Gwendal, wait," Yuri rubbed his hand through his hair. "I never meant to say that. Even so," he made sure to make eye contact with everyone in the room. " I _will_ be asking Gwendal to marry me. Soon."

The glow around Shori faded as he stared at his little brother. Wolfram collapsed to the ground, forgotten. Shori walked over and pulled Yuri into a hug and said nothing for several minutes. He was relieved that Yuri hadn't been raped, but was not quite over the fact that he had been attacked in such a brutal way.

"I'm sorry I got a little carried away. I know you have plenty of people that care about you and protect you, but Gwendal? Yuri, I'm sorry, but he terrifies even me! He's so quiet and, and ominous and well… I always thought, if anyone, you'd end up with Conrad. Or at least Murata."

"Okay, first off, you're not upset with me being with a guy?"

Shori shrugged. "I'm happy for you if you're happy." Shoma and Jennifer nodded their agreement with a smile.

"Alright, then. Shori, you need to get to know Gwendal." Yuri looked at his brother, his heart in his eyes. He never noticed Gwendal enter the room. Conrad raised a finger to his lips to make sure his older brother stayed quiet.

"He may be silent, but he's a good listener. He only seems ominous because, well that's what he's used to: being stern with his troops and showing the enemy no mercy. However, Gwendal is much more than that to me. There have been so many times that he's put himself in the way of danger just for me. A lot of the scars he has is because of me. I can't begin to explain how much he means to me. I respect your opinion, Shori, but please tell me you give me your blessing on this. I don't know what I'd do without him by my side."

Shori pulled his brother into another hug. "Yuri, you're all grown up now, so you don't really need my permission. However, I wholeheartedly give my blessing." He stepped back from Yuri and looked over at Gwendal. "You'd better take good care of him."

Gwendal walked up behind Yuri and draped an arm around his shoulders. "You needn't worry about Yuri-Heika. He is well taken care of and very loved."

Yuri stepped out from underneath Gwendal's arm. Gwendal gave him a slightly hurt look that Yuri pulled away from him. That look was replaced by confusion as he felt his left cheek start to sting. Shoma and Jennifer gasped in shock and the inhabitants from Shin Makoku started smiling.

"Gwendal, I don't know how you ever came to love somebody like me, but please know that your love is returned tenfold. I'm standing here now, asking you to marry me in both the traditional Shin Makoku way and the traditional earth way." Yuri dropped to one knee and pulled a small box out of his pocket. He had intended to do this in the castle gardens, but now was as good a time as any. "Gwendal von Voltaire, will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?"

Everyone held their breath. Gwendal stared at Yuri, unblinking, for several long seconds. An unreadable look crossed his face and much to the dismay of everyone in the room, he started to shake his head.

"This wasn't how I expected this to happen. I'm really sorry, Yuri. I just wish that... well, I just wish that I had asked you first. You deserve to be catered to and swept off your feet. So, in answer, I will marry you and..."

With that, he scooped Yuri up into his arms and planted a kiss square on Yuri's mouth. Everyone cheered for the newly engaged pair, and Jennifer started talking faster than ever, latching onto Gunter. The pair wandered off to the office to begin wedding preparations. Yuri only smiled happily at their retreating backs.

Conrad and Yozak took it upon themselves to see to Wolfram. They scooped up the younger man, apologizing for leaving so quickly. Yuri understood and was thankful to have Wolfram out of his parents' house. Wolfram didn't fight the pair. After having woken up, he had merely laid sullenly on the floor. The soldier and spy made their way outside, wishing everyone well before jumping into the pool.

Well, I should be able to tie this story up with one final chapter. Maybe an epilogue if people want to know what happens with other characters. Let me know what you think and as always, I love to hear suggestions!


	8. Chapter 8

_**Final installment, finally! I can't believe it's taken me this long. Hope you all enjoy it, and as always, I don't own the characters, just what I do to them.**_

After all that had happened, the group made plans to stay on earth for several days. Yuri wanted to really show Gwendal around his home town and do all of the "earth things" that he could think of doing. He made a mental list of things like go to a baseball game, have an all-American dinner of burgers, fries, and shakes, go to a mall. Yuri even wanted to take Gwendal to a zoo and show him all the adorable animals there. It would be a cute overload for the general, but Yuri knew he'd love it.

"Yu-chan, I found you!" his mother called from the other side of the room. "Breakfast is ready, traditional American-style: bacon, eggs, pancakes, hash browns, biscuits, coffee, and chocolate milk. I hope you and your friends are hungry. There's a lot of food!"

It was the morning after they arrived. Conrad and Yozak had returned sometime during the night and crashed on the fold-out couch together. Both men had been up for probably at least an hour or so. Conrad wanted to go for a walk with Yozak to show him around. Yuri smiled at the thought. He knew they both loved each other, but was still pretty sure that neither of them had confessed. Maybe it was time for him to play matchmaker for Yozak...

"Yuri!"

"Coming, Mama. Sorry, I was just thinking about stuff."

He made his way into the kitchen. Conrad and Yozak slipped in the back door and sat together on one side of the table. Gunter sat at the far end. Gwendal walked in behind Yuri and gave him a hug from behind. Yuri smiled and turned, returning Gwendal's hug. Yozak's whistle broke the two apart.

"All right you two, there's time enough for that later. Right now I just want you all to enjoy breakfast. Dig in!"

"Thank you Jennifer-san for making all this food." Gwendal gave a slight bow before moving to sit down while holding Yuri's hand.

"Oh, Gwennie, you can call me Mama. You're marrying my baby!"

Gwendal blushed with an eye twitch and muttered, "okay, Mama."

"There, isn't that better!"

Yozak chuckled outright, Conrad covered a cough behind a napkin, and Gunter would have looking like he was choking if it wasn't for the sparkle in his eyes. Gwendal glared at him. Was his best friend going to laugh at him too? He opened his mouth to make a comment, but Yuri's father came in at that moment.

"Wow, Honey. This looks amazing! I could smell it from my office."

Jennifer beamed and sat down, passing food out to everyone. "I just thought that while Yuri was here with everybody, I'd try to feed them as many different things as possible. We might even start a fire and roast weenies and marshmallows while you guys are here!"

The demons exchanged confused glances, and Shoma rolled his eyes. "Do you guys know what she is talking about?" They all shook their heads. "Weenies is another word for hot dogs. They're processed meat parts shoved into a tube. They're really great when you roast them over a fire. Marshmallows are a sugary bit of fluffiness. If we're doing marshmallows, we might as well go all the way and make smores."

Jennifer squealed. "Oooo! I love those! You squish a toasted marshmallow in between two pieces of graham cracker and a square of chocolate. Or two squares of chocolate!"

Gunter was the first to speak up. "I am sure we will all love these weenies and smores that you have mentioned. It sounds like a wonderful way to gather friends together and get to know each other. Is there anything that we can do to help prepare for such an event?"

"You can go with me to the grocery store to pick everything up. Oh, you guys will just love grocery shopping. There are like hundreds of different types of hot dogs to get!"

Yozak swallowed a lump of eggs. "Hundreds? How many different ways can you stuff processed meat into a tube?"

Yuri was getting into the conversation. A cookout sounded like a wonderful idea. "Well, you can get beef, pork, chicken, or turkey hot dogs. You can get sausages, bratwurst. Some have cheese, some have spices in them for a nice fiery kick. I happen to really like the cheese bratwurst. You should get some when you go shopping."

Conversation continued on throughout the rest of breakfast. When everyone was finished, Gunter, Conrad, and Yozak offered to help clean up. Jennifer started to refuse their help since they were guests, but Gunter pointed out, while trying unsuccessfully to hide a smile, that since they didn't have a ton of time on earth, she should get to the wedding preparations. It would be nice to chisel out as many details as possible. Jennifer agreed with a giggle and grabbed Yuri and Gwendal by the hands, leaving the three men alone in the kitchen. Gunter turned to the younger two as they started clearing the dishes.

"So, now that Yuri and Gwendal are all set, what about you guys?"

"What do you mean?" they said in unison.

"What do I mean? Well, you boys have been the best of friends for as long as I can remember. You've been there to comfort each other through terrible times, you've saved each others lives more times that even I can count. What's keeping you guys from getting married as well?"

Conrad's hands stilled on the plates he had been stacking. Why hadn't they gotten married? It wasn't as if they didn't have feelings for each other, not to mention all the times they had slept together. That hadn't been only for comfort, right? There had been some passion and real love in that. He looked over at Yozak, who seemed to be having the same train of thought. Yozak looked at his captain, his face turning almost as red as his hair. Sure he loved the captain. They'd had some amazing times together, but he was just some half-human, low-born nobody.

"Ooo-kay. You guys need to talk. I will finish cleaning up. It's the least I can do." Gunter took the dishes away from Conrad and set them in the sink before shooing the men out the back door. "Don't come back until you've figured out, at least in some part, what you two mean to each other."

The younger men exchanged a look and walked out the back door, keeping enough distance between them that they didn't touch. Gunter turned back around and started cleaning all the dishes. Two weddings! He'd have his hands full.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Conrad knew Yozak would follow him without question, so he made his way to Yuri's favorite park down the street. They both sat down on a park bench next to the baseball fields. Silence loomed for several minutes. Neither one knew what to say or even how to start the conversation. A ball bounced to a stop at their feet and a little boy ran over.

"Wow, mister! Are you a superhero?"

Yozak looked at Conrad, confused. "What's a superhero?"

The boy was shocked. "You know, do you have super powers? Your arms are huge! You could probably lift my dad's truck!"

Conrad laughed. "He probably could at that. He isn't a superhero, but he is a body guard for a dear friend of mine. In order to keep my friend safe, he keeps himself in very good shape."

The boy's mother ran over. "I'm so sorry! I hope my son wasn't bothering you. He's just a chatty little guy. Doesn't know a stranger."

Conrad laughed again. "It's no problem. He's very cute."

The two men watched as the mother gathered up her son and his ball. For once in his life, Yozak was embarrassed about his muscles. He only had on a tank top and shorts, so quite a bit of him felt very exposed. Yozak glanced at Conrad, who was looking at him curiously. He wanted to say something, but for some reason, the usually quick with a word spy found himself at a loss for words. Conrad reached over and laid a hand on Yozak's bicep. Yozak almost shuddered at the contact. Conrad finally broke the silence.

"You know, it is odd that we haven't married."

"Is it?"

"Well, yes. Gunter was right. We've been best friends almost as far back as I can remember. You've always had my back without me even asking for it. Not to mention the couple of times we've each had our hearts broken, and that dark period I had when Julia died, we were there to comfort each other." Conrad took a deep breath, not quite believing what he was about to say. "I really enjoyed those times together. I've honestly never enjoyed that quite as much as when I'm with you. I," he took a deep breath, "I love you, Yozak- what? What's with that look?"

"Captain, I know we've been there for each other and all, but wasn't that because we were friends and soldiers? I mean, I fell in love with you a long time ago and would do anything for you, but I'm just some low class nothing and you're the son of the former Maoh."

Yozak started to say more, but Conrad covered his mouth with a kiss. The spy was startled at first. Conrad scooted closer and ran his fingers up and down Yozak's arm. As the kiss went on, Yozak started to relax and even reached up to play with Conrad's hair. When the two finally broke apart, both were breathless.

"Now, what were you saying?"

Yozak looked at the ground, still slightly embarrassed. "I was just saying that since we're from different classes, people might frown on us getting together officially."

"Who cares? My mother is the former Maoh, and we're sworn to protect the current Maoh. As long as we have the blessing from both to go ahead with this, we don't really need to worry about what anyone else thinks."

Conrad stood and knelt in front of Yozak. "So in the earth tradition. Yozak Gurrier, I love you like I have loved nobody else. I want you by my side for the rest of our lives and beyond, not just as brothers in arms or friends, but as my husband. Will you accept my hand in marriage."

"I... just don't know, Captain. That's a lot to take in." Conrad's heart plummeted. "Do you mind if I walk back to Heika's house alone so I can think things through? Your presence makes it hard to think."

Conrad swallowed a lump in his throat and stood. "Sure, Yozak. I don't want you to do anything that you are uncomfortable with. I'll see you at Yuri's house."

Yozak watched Conrad walk away and wanted to slap himself. Why couldn't he have just said yes?

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Back at Yuri's house, Gwendal was ready to punch through a wall. Traditional earth weddings were just as bad as the weddings in Shin Makoku. There was so much to plan for and purchase. To top it all off, they'd have to figure out a way to get everything over there without destroying it in the water. He sat on the couch with Yuri, holding his hand and trying to keep from screaming. His eye had started twitching about an hour ago. The headache started just a few minutes ago.

Gunter came swishing in with a smile. He had finished the cleanup ages ago and had since been helping Jennifer with all the wedding plans.

"Gentlemen, we have a very important thing to discuss with you." The two on the couch looked at each other in concern. "Now, in Shin Makoku, one person can wear a wedding dress while the other wears a suit, but both can wear a suit if you want. What do you think?"

"I think we'll both wear suits, though Gwendal might look sexy in one of those frilly, silky wedding dresses."  
Gwendal shot him a death glare. His eye twitched even more. "I do not think that we can easily find a wedding dress that would fit me. They are made for people of a smaller stature. We would have to get something custom made and that would take a lot of money and time and-"

Yuri kissed him to shut him up. "I was just kidding, Gwen." He looked over at Gunter. "Tell my mother NO wedding dresses. We'll both wear suits. Oh, and before you ask, white suits would be fantastic."

Gunter nodded, Yuri having addressed his next question, and left the pair on the couch. Gwendal tugged on Yuri until the younger man was straddling his lap. Yuri threw his arms around Gwendal's neck and gave him a huge hug before leaning in for a kiss.

"I know this is stressing you out. I'm sorry my mother gets so excited about things like this."

"It's not a problem. I'm just not used to being the center of attention and it really is wearing on me."

"Well, I tell you what. Tonight, we can lock my bedroom door. I can strip you down and massage your back. If you want, we can maybe have some fun."

Gwendal flipped them so that he pinned Yuri to the couch. "That would be nice," he managed between kisses. He buried his face in the side of Yuri's neck. Yuri squirmed. That was one of his most sensitive spots and Gwendal knew it. He wanted to run his hands through Gwendal's hair, since he was letting it hang free while on earth, but his hands were captured and held down. Both men were starting to wish that it was tonight already, when the front door slammed open.

Yozak came in with an odd look on his face, then he noticed the pair on the couch and smiled. "Ah, was I interrupting something?"

Yuri laughed breathlessly. "Well, we weren't going to be able to do much here, with my mother running around the house like a crazy person. Is something wrong, Yozak?"

Yozak's eyes dropped to the floor. Gwendal and Yuri sat up on the couch and the spy sat down next to them. Nobody said anything for a long while. The couple had never seen Yozak look anything but suave and confident. Yuri put an arm around Yozak's shoulders and the older man seemed to sink down into the couch.

"You can talk to me. What's going on? Where's Conrad? Gunter said that the two of you went out for a walk. He seemed kind of excited."

"The Captain's not back yet? He left the park before I did."

"Why?"

"He proposed, on one knee and everything. I, uh, told him I'd think about it."

"WHAT? Why did you have to think about it. You two would be perfect for each other. I can't believe you didn't say yes."

"I'm not good enough for him. And before you say anything, it's not false modesty. I can be a very vain person, but that's only for show. I don't deserve to be with someone as wonderful as him."

"Yozak, you're the greatest spy, friend, companion... I can't even put all of it into words. You and my brother deserve each other. He loves you and the only way I will stand against this marriage is if you don't share his love in return."

"Yeah, Yozak. I love you both equally. I've kinda adopted you as my other unofficial godparent. If you marry Conrad, it'll be official. I want you to be happy as much as I want him to be happy. I hope this has helped make your decision the right one."

Yozak looked at the other two men. Yuri-heika's godparent. That was a sacred title, reserved only for those very close to the person involved. Gwendal gave his approval as well. Just knowing that both men wanted him to be with Conrad, Yozak made his mind up.

"General, Heika, I do love Conrad. With all my heart. I know I'm not good enough for him, but you guys seem to think otherwise. I didn't think you both would approve. Well, he said you'd be okay with us being together. I guess I just needed to hear it from your own mouth. Thanks, kiddo. When he gets back, I'll remedy the situation."

"What do you plan to do?"

"Heh, you'll see. This'll be a showdown for the history books."

Gwendal frowned in confusion. Yuri smiled, having an idea of what Yozak could be planning. Yozak stood with a smile on his face and a sparkle in his eye. He stuck a hand out to Yuri, pulling the young king into his arms in a great big bear hug. Gwendal rolled his eyes and stood as well.

"Well, kiddo, I need to do some shopping it looks like. Know where I can get-" he leaned forward and whispered his idea into Yuri's ear. He knew Gwendal would have an even bigger headache than before if he knew the plan.

"Oh, yeah. There's a shop downtown that would be perfect for this! Come on, I'll get Mom's keys and we can go. You want to go as well, Gwendal?"

The general shook his head. "No, you guys go have fun. I'll stay here and wait for Conrad and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Jennifer and Gunter popped into the room as soon as the other two left and each grabbed one of Gwendal's arms. They dragged him into the downstairs office to help with some of the wedding plans. Poor Gwendal just wanted to bang his head against a wall and wake up when it was all over..

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

A few hours later, dinner was ready. Conrad had finally returned after Yuri and Yozak had gotten back from their shopping trip and sequestered themselves in Yuri's room. Everyone was curious as to why the two of them were being so secretive, but no one said anything to Conrad. He looked like he had lost his best friend and simply dropped into a chair at the table without saying a word.

Gunter helped Jennifer set the table. Shoma and Shori arrived and sat down as well. There was a commotion out in the hallway. The group in the kitchen could hear shuffling, giggling, and muttered curses. After a long, ominous pause, Yuri popped in and sat down at the table next to Gwendal. From his spot, he could see both Conrad and the doorway from the hall. This was going to be good.

"Yuri, were is Yozak?" Gunter asked with some concern.

"Oh he'll be in, in a minute." Yuri smirked at Conrad, though the older man didn't even seem to notice.

Everyone started dishing out food. Conversation was pleasant. A few times, people tried to pull Conrad into the chatting, but he'd give a one word response and go back to picking at his food. Suddenly all talking ceased. The entire table, save for Conrad whose back was to the door, stared in shocked silence. Yuri smiled, waiting for the showdown to begin.

Shoma cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable and unsure of what to say. "Uh, Mr. Gurrier, you look, uh, nice."

Conrad's hand stilled. He knew that something was off behind him. The looks on pretty much everyone's faces gave that away. He was almost afraid to turn around, but before he had to make that decision, Yozak moved over to the table. Conrad glanced up and back to his plate. Then his eyes shot to Yozak. He slowly stood from the table, running his eyes up and down the redhead in front of him. Yozak stood there and let his captain take it all in with his usual confident smile.

The whole ensemble had come together perfectly. The guy at the department store was as fashion savvy as they come and fixed Yozak up in no time. The spy's hair had been pulled back into a gorgeous emerald clip. He had just enough silver eye shadow to make his eyes pop. The dress was a slinky, sparkly, off the shoulder number that had a slit high enough to almost be obscene. They had searched high and low and had finally found a pair of silver high heels big enough to fit Yozak. Even Yuri had to admit, with the smile on his face and the love in his eyes, Yozak looked pretty damn gorgeous. Gwendal cleared his throat so break up the silence.

"So, are you two going to just stand there?"

That seemed to shock the standing pair out of their own little world. Conrad reached over to touch Yozak on the cheek.

"You look great, Yozak. Amazing."

Yozak took a step back. "Ah, ah, Captain. If you touch me, I may not be able to get through what I have to say." He looked around at the occupants of the room, flashing all of them a sexy smile before turning back to Conrad. "You, Sir, have always been there for me. You've had my back and saved my life more than I'd care to admit. I really do love you with my entire being. With that being said..."

Yozak reached his right hand up and slapped Conrad hard on his left cheek. The normally calm and steady captain stood there for a second, his jaw hanging open. His hand shook as he reached up and touched his cheek.

"I thought you were going to say no," he whispered.

"What, say no to you? The boy-o over there made it clear that I had to say yes. Even someone like me deserves to be happy, I guess."

Conrad grinned and yanked Yozak into a hug, kissing him passionately. The table erupted in applause. When the newly engaged pair finally came up for air, Conrad sat at the table and pulled Yozak down onto his lap. He didn't want to be away from him any more than was necessary. Dinner went on, more joyful than before. Gunter and Jennifer grinned at each other and started up a conversation about how to change the wedding they had been planning into a double ceremony.

TTTTTTTTTTTT

_A few weeks later:_

Conrad and Yozak had decided to elope. They had waited long enough to be together and really didn't need a huge ceremony. Both stood over to one side of the reception hall, holding hands and keeping their ever vigilant watch over the king. Gwendal, who was standing with Yuri, looked over at them and flashed one of his rare smiles. He leaned down and whispered something to Yuri, who then looked over at his two godfathers and nodded. They excused themselves from the group they were talking to and made their way over.

"Your majesty, the wedding was beautiful."

Yuri scowled. "Seriously, Yozak. You're my godfather now too. You have to start calling me Yuri."

"Oh, I'm sorry. _Yuri._" Yozak flashed a smile at the newly weds. "I'm surprised that you guys haven't ditched the reception yet. We were thinking about it here in a little bit."

Yuri grinned at them. "Oh we wanted to make sure and talk to everyone that made the effort to come to the wedding. There will be time for that later. Why don't you guys go on ahead to your room? I have plenty of guards here and besides, I'm married to the general. I think I'll be safe."

Gwendal dropped an arm protectively around Yuri and smiled again before leaning down to kiss his husband. Yozak and Conrad exchanged looks and told the other pair goodbye. Yuri was in good hands. They didn't need to worry. The newly weds came up for air in time to see the other pair leaving the reception, arms locked around each other. Gwendal led Yuri out to the balcony. They sat, enjoying the beautiful night air.

"Gwendal, are you truly happy that you married me?"

"What? Of course. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I mean, I don't know. I guess I'm still a bit insecure. I mean, you could have had Anissina, or Gunter, or anyone for that matter."  
"I'm not in love with just anyone. I'm in love with you. You make me a better person just by being around you."

Yuri smiled and leaned in for a kiss. Gwendal swept Yuri up into his arms. The other two were right. It was time to ditch the reception and get on with other, more entertaining, things.


End file.
